fleena  B.  Griimell 


SUJ 


UNIVERSITY  OF 
CAl  '!ORNIA 
CRUZ 


BR^RY 


NUMBER 


THE   RED   ROVER 


Then  suffering:  the  bunting  to  fall,  a  deep,  blood-red  field  unfolded 
itself—"  That  is  the  color  of  a  Rover,11  he  said.— Page  95. 

The  Red  Rover. 


THE  RED  ROVER 


<*    ^    A  TALE 


By  J?  FENIMORE  COOPER 

Author  of  "THE  PATHFINDER,"  "THE 
PRAIRIE,"  "THE  LAST  OF  THE 
MOHICANS,"  "THE  TWO  ADMIRALS," 
"WING  AND  WING,"  "THE  PILOT,"  etc.  - 


A.  L.  BURT,  PUBLISHER,  52-58  DUANE 
STREET,  NEW  YORK    *     *     <*>     *     * 


TS 

/4V 

R3 


tro 

W.  B.  SHUBRICK,  ESQUIRE, 

U.   S.   NAVY. 

IN    SUBMITTING    TO    YOUR    NOTICE,    DEAR    SHUBRICK,    THIS    HASTILY 
COMPOSED    AND   IMPERFECT    PICTURE    OF   A   FEW  SCENES    PECULIAR 
TO    THE    PROFESSION,    I    TRUST    MUCH    MORE    TO    YOUR     KIND 
FEELINGS      THAN       TO       ANY       MERIT       IN      THE      EXECU- 
TION.      SUCH   AS   IT    MAY   BE,    HOWEVER,    THE   BOOK 
IS     OFFERED     AS     ANOTHER     TRIBUTE     TO     THE 
CONSTANT     ESTEEM      AND     FRIENDSHIP      OF 

THE    AUTHOR. 


PREFACE. 


SMOLLETT  had  obtained  so  much  success  as  a  writer  of 
nautical  tales,  that  it  probably  required  a  new  course 
should  be  steered  in  order  to  enable  the  succeeding  adven- 
turer in  this  branch  of  literature  to  meet  with  any  favor. 
This  difficulty  was  fully  felt  when  this  book  was  originally 
written,  and  probably  has  as  much  force  to-day  as  it  had 
then,  though  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  century  has  intervened. 

The  history  of  this  country  has  very  little  to  aid  the  writer 
of  fiction,  whether  the  scene  be  laid  on  the  land  or  on  the 
water.  With  the  exception  of  the  well-known  though  mea- 
gre incidents  connected  with  the  career  of  Kidd,  indeed,  it 
would  be  very  difficult  to  turn  to  a  single  nautical  occur- 
rence on  this  part  of  the  continent  in  the  hope  of  conferring 
on  a  work  of  the  imagination  any  portion  of  that  peculiar 
charm  which  is  derived  from  facts  clouded  a  little  by  time. 
The  annals  of  America  are  surprisingly  poor  in  such  events; 
a  circumstance  that  is  doubtless  owing  to  the  staid  charac- 
ter of  the  people,  and  especially  to  that  portion  of  them 
which  is  most  addicted  to  navigation. 

These  difficulties  were  duly  appreciated  by  the  writer  of 
this  book,  who  found  it  necessary  to  invent  his  legend  with- 
out looking  for  the  smallest  aid  from  traditions  or  facts. 
There  is  no  authority  whatever  for  any  incident,  character, 
or  scene  of  the  book  now  offered  to  the  reader,  unless  na- 
ture may  be  thought  to  furnish  originals,  in  a  greater  or  less 
degree,  to  some  of  the  pictures. 

A  good  deal  of  speculation  has  been  resorted  to  by  differ- 
ent writers,  in  order  to  discover  the  history  and  uses  of  the 


8  PREFACE. 

little  stone  ruin  in  which  one  of  our  incidents  is  laid. 
Those  who  are  not  content  to  accept  of  a  simple  solution  of 
this  antiquarian  problem,  have  assailed  the  irreverent  man- 
ner in  which  we  have  termed  it  a  mill,  and  have  claimed 
for  the  little  structure  an  original  as  remote  as  the  times  of 
the  Northmen  who  are  supposed  to  have  preceded  Columbus 
in  his  voyage  to  this  western  hemisphere.  We  pretend  to 
no  exclusive  knowledge  on  the  subject,  never  having  seen 
this  much-talked-of  ruin  but  once,  and  then  only  in  a  hur- 
ried visit  of  a  single  half -hour.  It  must  be  confessed  that 
it  struck  the  writer  as  the  very  obvious  remains  of  a  wind- 
mill, and  as  nothing  else ;  though  there  may  be  better  rea- 
sons than  any  he  can  give  to  the  contrary  for  supposing  it 
to  have  been  erected  as  a  fortress  several  centuries  ago. 
We  can  imagine  the  use  in  placing  a  mill  on  arches,  as  it 
is  a  very  simple  process,  and  one  often  had  recourse  to,  in 
order  to  prevent  the  ravages  of  the  mice;  but  it  is  not  so 
easy  to  see  why  the  extra  labor  of  forming  arches,  the  loss 
of  room,  and  the  additional  risk  from  fire,  should  all  be 
voluntarily  incurred  to  raise  up  a  fortress  against  savages. 
Under  no  circumstances,  it  would  seem,  could  such  a  tower 
be  less  expensive,  less  difficult  to  construct,  and  less  secure, 
by  building  it  up  as  a  solid  structure  from  the  ground,  than 
by  raising  it  in  the  air,  on  senseless  because  useless  pillars, 
as  must  have  been  the  case,  if  we  are  to  suppose  the  build- 
ing to  have  been  erected  for  purposes  of  defence.  The 
lower  apartment,  which,  on  this  antiquarian  theory,  would 
be  thrown  away,  might  have  been  of  great  daily  utility,  as 
it  certainly  would  have  added  to  the  strength  of  the  tower; 
thus  reducing  these  poor  Northmen  to  the  dilemma  of  hav- 
ing it  inferred  that  their  intelligence  was  of  so  low  a  stamp 
as  to  lead  them  to  expend  their  time  and  labor  in  raising 
an  elaborate  structure  that  would  be  less  likely  to  effect  all 
their  objects  than  one  much  more  simple. 

We  trust  this  denial  of  the  accuracy  of  what  may  be  a 
favorite  local  theory,  will  not   draw  down  upon  us  any  new 


PREFACE.  9 

evidence  of  the  high  displeasure  of  the  Rhode  Island  His- 
torical Society,  an  institution  which  displayed  such  a  mag- 
nanimous sense  of  the  right,  so  much  impartiality,  and  so 
profound  an  understanding  of  the  laws  of  nature  and  of  the 
facts  of  the  day,  on  a  former  occasion  when  we  incurred  its 
displeasure,  that  we  really  dread  a  second  encounter  with 
its  philosophy,  its  historical  knowledge,  its  wit,  and  its 
signal  love  of  justice.  Little  institutions,  like  little  men, 
very  naturally  have  a  desire  to  get  on  stilts;  a  circumstance 
that  may  possibly  explain  the  theory  of  this  extraordinary 
and  very  useless  fortification. 

We  prefer  the  truth  and  common  sense  to  any  other  mode 
of  reasoning,  not  having  the  honor  to  be  an  Historical 
Society  at  all.  That  which  we  have  elsewhere  written,  and 
in  a  graver  capacity,  we  think  has  been  triumphantly  vindi- 
cated; and  we  have  given  our  reasons  here  for  disbelieving 
the  theory  of  the  citadel  of  the  Northmen.  If  others  prefer 
to  tilt  with  a  windmill,  we  commend  them  to  their  own  gal- 
lantry and  the  sympathy  of  Sancho  Panza.  Thank  Heav- 
en! we  have  never  published  any  thing  which  involves  the 
necessity  of  believing  that  foui  vessels,  with  their  topsails 
aback,  drifted  round  the  whole  earth  in  two  hours  and  a  half, 
in  straight  lines,  regardless  of  islands  and  continents;  which 
creates  the  necessity  of  supposing  that  a  crippled  craft  will 
drift  to  windward;  or  have  asserted  that  any  particular  bat- 
tle, the  property  of  the  whole  nation,  belongs  to  "  the  naval 
annals  of  New  York."  They  who  have  maintained  these 
historical  and  philosophical  tours  de  force,  are  quite  right  to 
top  off  their  mental  labors  by  maintaining  that  the  "New- 
port Ruin"  was  a  dwelling  of  the  Caesars  1 

COOPERSTOWN,  January  i,  1850. 


THE  RED  ROVER. 


CHAPTER  I. 

PAR.    Mars  dote  on  you  for  his  novices. 

Alf*  Well  that  end* 

No  one  who  is  familiar  with  the  bustle  and  activity  of  an 
American  commercial  town,  would  recognize,  in  the  repose 
which  now  reigns  in  the  ancient  mart  of  Rhode  Island,  a 
place  that,  in  its  day,  has  been  ranked  amongst  the  most 
important  ports  along  the  whole  line  of  our  extended  coast. 
It  would  seem,  at  the  first  glance,  that  nature  had  expressly 
fashioned  the  spot  to  anticipate  the  wants  and  to  realize  the 
wishes  of  the  mariner.  Enjoying  the  four  great  requisites 
of  a  safe  and  commodious  haven,  a  placid  basin,  an  outer 
harbor,  and  a  convenient  roadstead,  with  a  clear  offing, 
Newport  appeared  to  the  eyes  of  our  European  ancestors 
designed  to  shelter  fleets,  and  to  nurse  a  race  of  hardy  and 
expert  seamen.  Though  the  latter  anticipation  has  not  been 
entirely  disappointed,  how  little  has  reality  answered  to  ex- 
pectation in  respect  to  the  former !  A  successful  rival  has 
arisen,  even  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  this  seeming  favo- 
rite of  nature,  to  defeat  all  the  calculations  of  mercantile 
sagacity,  and  to  add  another  to  the  thousand  existing  evi- 
dences "  that  the  wisdom  of  man  is  foolishness." 

There  are  few  towns  of  any  magnitude  within  our  broad 
territories,  in  which  so  little  change  has  been  effected  in 
half  a  century  as  in  Newport.  Until  the  vast  resources  of 
the  interior  were  developed,  the  beautiful  island  on  which 
it  stands  was  a  chosen  retreat  for  the  affluent  planters  of  the 


12  THE   RED    ROVER. 

south,  from  the  heats  and  diseases  of  their  burning  climate. 
Here  they  resorted  in  crowds  to  inhale  the  invigorating 
breezes  of  the  sea.  Subjects  of  the  same  government,  the 
inhabitants  of  the  Carolinas  and  of  Jamaica  met  here  in 
amity,  to  compare  their  respective  habits  and  policies,  and 
to  strengthen  each  other  in  a  common  delusion,  which  the 
descendants  of  both,  in  the  third  generation,  are  beginning 
to  perceive  and  to  regret. 

The  communion  left  on  the  simple  and  unpractised  off- 
spring of  the  Puritans  its  impression  both  of  good  and  evil. 
The  inhabitants  of  the  country,  while  they  derived  from  the 
intercourse  a  portion  of  that  bland  and  graceful  courtesy 
for  which  the  gentry  of  the  southern  British  colonies  were 
so  distinguished,  did  not  fail  to  imbibe  some  of  those  pecu- 
liar notions  concerning  the  distinctions  in  the  races  of  men 
for  which  they  are  no  less  remarkable.  Rhode  Island  was 
the  foremost  among  the  New  England  provinces  to  recede 
from  the  manners  and  opinions  of  their  simple  ancestors. 
The  first  shock  was  given  through  her,  to  that  rigid  and 
ungracious  deportment  which  was  once  believed  a  neces- 
sary concomitant  of  true  religion,  a  sort  of  outward  pledge 
of  the  healthful  condition  of  the  inward  man;  and  it  was  also 
through  her  that  the  first  palpable  departure  was  made  from 
those  purifying  principles  which  might  serve  as  an  apology 
for  even  more  repulsive  exteriors.  By  a  singular  combina- 
tion of  circumstances  and  qualities,  which  is  however  no  less 
true  than  perplexing,  the  merchants  of  Newport  were  becom- 
ing, at  the  same  time,  both  slave-dealers  and  gentlemen. 

Whatever  might  have  been  the  moral  condition  of  its  pro- 
prietors at  the  precise  period  of  1759,  the  island  itself  was 
never  more  enticing  and  lovely.  Its  swelling  crests  were 
still  crowned  with  the  wood  of  centuries;  its  little  vales 
were  then  covered  with  the  living  verdure  of  the  north ;  and 
its  unpretending,  but  neat  and  comfortable,  villas  lay  shel- 
tered in  groves,  and  embedded  in  flowers.  The  beauty  and 
fertility  of  the  place  gained  for  it  a  name  which  probably 


THE    RED    ROVER.  13 

expressed  far  more  than  was  properly  understood  at  that  early 
day.  The  inhabitants  of  the  country  styled  their  posses- 
sions the  "  Garden  of  America."  Neither  were  their  guests 
from  the  scorching  plains  of  the  south  reluctant  to  concede 
this  imposing  title.  The  appellation  descended  even  to  our 
own  time;  nor  was  it  entirely  abandoned  until  the  traveller 
had  the  means  of  contemplating  the  thousand  broad  and 
lovely  valleys  which  fifty  years  ago  lay  buried  in  the  dense 
shadows  of  the  forest.* 

The  date  we  have  just  named  was  a  period  fraught  with 
the  deepest  interest  to  the  British  possessions  on  this  con- 
tinent. A  bloody  and  vindictive  war,  which  had  been  com- 
menced in  defeat  and  disgrace,  was  about  to  end  in  triumph.- 
France  was  deprived  of  the  last  of  her  possessions  on  flie 
main,  while  the  immense  region  which  lies  between  t^~  Bay 
of  Hudson  and  the  territories  of  Spain  submitted  to  the 
power  of  England.  The  colonists  had  shared  largely  in  con- 
tributing to  the  success  of  the  mother-country.  Losses  and 
contumely,  that  had  been  incurred  by  the  besotting  preju- 
dices of  European  commanders,  were  beginning  to  be  for- 
gotten in  the  pride  of  success.  The  blunders  of  Braddock, 
the  indolence  of  Loudon,  and  the  impotency  of  Abercrombie, 
were  repaired  by  the  vigor  of  Amherst,  and  the  genius  of 
Wolfe.  In  every  quarter  of  the  globe,  the  arms  of  Britain 
were  triumphant.  The  loyal  provincials  were  among  the 
loudest  in  their  exultations  and  rejoicings;  wilfully  shut- 
ting their  eyes  to  the  scanty  meed  of  applause  that  a  power- 
ful people  ever  reluctantly  bestows  on  its  dependants,  as  if 
love  of  glory,  like  avarice,  increases  by  its  meaiis  of 
indulgence. 

The  system  of  oppression  and  misrule,  which  hastened  a 
separation  that  sooner  or  later  must  have  occurred  in  the 
natural  order  of  events,  had  not  yet  commenced.  The 

*  There  is  both  a  State  and  an  island  which  bears  the  same  name.  Rhode  Island 
(the  State)  is  the  smallest  of  the  twenty-four  sisters  which  compose  the  American 
Union.  It  is  not  so  large  as  many  English  counties,  has  to-day  a  population  not  much 
exceeding  one  hundred  thousand  souls,  and  is  well  known  for  its  manufacturing  industry. 


J4  THE   RED    ROVER. 

mother-country,  if  not  just,  was  still  complaisant.  Like  all 
old  and  great  nations,  she  was  indulging  in  the  pleasing 
but  dangerous  enjoyment  of  self -contemplation.  The  quali- 
ties and  services  of  a  race  who  were  believed  to  be  inferior 
were,  however,  soon  forgotten ;  or,  if  remembered,  it  was  in 
order  to  be  misrepresented  and  vituperated.  As  this  feeling 
increased  with  the  discontent  of  the  civil  dissensions,  it  led 
to  still  more  striking  injustice  and  greater  folly.  Men  who, 
from  their  observations,  should  have  known  better,  were  not 
ashamed  to  proclaim,  even  in  the  highest  council  of  the  na- 
tion, their  ignorance  of  the  character  of  a  people  with  whom 
they  had  mingled  their  blood.  Self-esteem  gave  value  to 
the  opinions  of  fools.  It  was  under  this  soothing  infatuation 
th^  veterans  were  heard  to  disgrace  their  noble  profession 
by  borings  that  should  have  been  hushed  in  the  mouth  of 
a  soldier  of  the  carpet:  it  was  under  this  infatuation  that 
Burgoyne  gave,  in  the  Commons  of  England,  that  memora- 
ble promise  of  marching  from  Quebec  to  Boston  with  a 
force  he  saw  fit  to  name — a  pledge  that  he  afterwards  re- 
deemed by  going  over  the  same  ground,  with  twice  the 
number  of  followers  as  captives;  and  it  was  under  this 
infatuation  that  England  subsequently  threw  away  her  hun- 
dred thousand  lives,  and  lavished  her  hundred  millions  of 
treasure. 

The  history  of  that  memorable  struggle  is  familiar  to 
every  American.  Content  with  the  knowledge  that  his 
country  triumphed,  he  is  willing  to  let  the  glorious  result 
take  its  proper  place  in  the  pages  of  history.  He  sees  that 
her  empire  rests  on  a  broad  and  natural  foundation,  which 
needs  no  support  from  venal  pens;  and,  happily  for  his 
peace  of  mind,  no  less  than  for  his  character,  he  feels  that 
the  prosperity  of  the  republic  is  not  to  be  sought  in  the 
degradation  of  surrounding  nations. 

Our  present  purpose  leads  us  back  to  the  period  of  calm 
which  preceded  the  storm  of  the  Revolution.  In  the  early 
days  of  the  month  of  October,  1759,  Newport,  like  every 


THE   RED    ROVER,  1 5 

other  town  in  America,  was  filled  with  the  mingled  senti- 
ments of  grief  and  joy.  The  inhabitants  mourned  the  fall 
of  Wolfe,  while  they  triumphed  in  his  victory.  Quebec,  the 
stronghold  of  tlie  Canadas,  and  the  last  place  of  any  im- 
portance held  by  a  people  whom  they  had  been  educated  to 
believe  were  their  natural  enemies,  had  just  changed  its 
masters.  That  loyalty  to  the  crown  of  England,  which 
endured  so  much  before  the  strange  principle  became  ex- 
tinct, was  then  at  its  height;  and  probably  the  colonist  was 
not  to  be  found  who  did  not,  in  some  measure,  identify  his 
own  honor  with  the  fancied  glory  of  the  house  of  Brunswick. 
The  day  on  which  the  action  of  our  tale  commences  had 
been  expressly  set  apart  to  manifest  the  sympathy  of  the 
good  people  of  the  town  and  its  vicinity  in  the  success  of 
the  royal  arms.  It  had  opened,  as  thousands  of  days  have 
opened  since,  with  the  ringing  of  bells  and  the  firing  of 
cannon ;  and  the  population,  at  an  early  hour,  had  poured 
into  the  streets  of  the  place,  with  that  determined  zeal  in 
the  cause  of  merriment,  which  ordinarily  makes  precon- 
certed joy  so  dull  an  amusement.  The  chosen  orator  of  the 
day  had  exhibited  his  eloquence  in  a  sort  of  prosaic  monody 
in  praise  of  the  dead  hero,  and  had  sufficiently  manifested 
his  loyalty  by  laying  the  glory,  not  only  of  that  sacrifice, 
but  all  that  had  been  reaped  by  ro  many  thousand  of  his 
brave  companions  also,  most  humbly,  at  the  foot  of  the 
throne. 

Content  with  these  demonstrations  of  their  allegiance,  the 
inhabitants  began  to  retire  to  their  dwellings,  as  the  sun 
settled  towards  those  immense  regions  which  then  lay  an 
endless  and  unexplored  wilderness,  but  which  now  are  teem- 
ing with  the  fruits  and  enjoyments  of  civilized  life.  The 
countrymen  from  the  environs,  and  even  from  the  adjoining 
main,  were  beginning  to  turn  their  faces  towards  their  dis- 
tant homes,  with  that  frugal  care  which  still  distinguishes 
the  inhabitants  of  this,  portion  of  our  country  even  in  the 
midst  of  their  greatest  abandonment  to  pleasures,  in  order 


1 6  THE   RED   ROVER. 

that  the  approaching  evening  might  not  lead  them  into  ex- 
penditures which  were  not  deemed  germane  to  the  proper 
feelings  of  the  occasion.  In  short,  the  excess  of  the  hour 
was  past,  and  each  individual  was  returning  into  the  sober 
channels  of  his  ordinary  avocations,  with  an  earnestness 
and  discretion  which  proved  he  was  not  altogether  unmind- 
ful of  the  time  that  had  been  squandered  in  the  display  of  a 
spirit  that  he  already  appeared  half  disposed  to  consider  as 
supererogatory. 

The  sounds  of  the  hammer,  the  axe,  and  the  saw  were 
again  heard  in  the  place;  the  windows  of  more  than  one 
shop  were  half  opened,  as  if  its  owner  had  made  a  sort  of 
compromise  between  his  interests  and  his  conscience,  and 
the  masters  of  the  only  three  inns  in  the  town  were  to  be 
seen  standing  before  their  doors,  regarding  the  retiring 
countrymen  with  eyes  which  plainly  betrayed  that  they  were 
seeking  customers  among  a  people  who  were  always  much 
more  ready  to  sell  than  to  buy.  A  few  noisy  and  thought- 
less seamen,  belonging  to  the  vessels  in  the  haven,  together 
with  some  half  dozen  notorious  tavern-hunters,  were,  how- 
ever, the  sole  fruits  of  all  their  nods  of  recognition,  enqui- 
ries into  the  welfare  of  wives  and  children,  and,  in  some 
instances,  of  open  invitations  to  alight  and  drink. 

Worldly  care,  with  a  constant  though  sometimes  an  oblique 
look  at  the  future  state,  formed  the  great  characteristic  of  all 
that  people  who  then  dwelt  in  what  were  called  the  prov- 
inces of  New  England.  Still  the  business  of  the  day  was 
not  forgotten,  though  it  was  deemed  unnecessary  to  digest 
its  proceedings  in  idleness,  or  over  the  bottle.  The  trav- 
ellers along  the  different  roads  that  led  into  the  interior  of 
the  island  formed  themselves  into  little  knots,  in  which  the 
policy  of  the  great  national  events  they  had  just  been  com- 
memorating, and  the  manner  they  had  been  treated  by  the 
different  individuals  selected  to  take  the  lead  in  the  offices 
of  the  day,  were  freely  handled,  though  with  great  deference 
to  the  established  reputations  of  the  distinguished  parties 


THE   RED   ROVER.  I/ 

most  concerned.  It  was  everywhere  conceded,  that  the 
prayers,  which  had  been  in  truth  a  little  conversational  and 
historical,  were  faultless  and  searching  exercises;  and,  on 
the  whole,  (though  to  this  opinion  there  were  some  clients 
of  an  advocate  adverse  to  the  orator,  who  were  moderate  dis- 
senters,) it  was  established,  that  a  more  eloquent  oration 
had  never  issued  from  the  mouth  of  man,  than  had  that  day 
been  delivered  in  their  presence.  Precisely  in  the  same 
temper  was  the  subject  discussed  by  the  workmen  on  a  ship 
which  was  then  building  in  the  harbor,  and  which,  in  the 
same  spirit  of  provincial  admiration  that  has  since  immor- 
talized so  many  edifices,  bridges,  and  even  individuals 
within  their  several  precincts,  was  confidently  affirmed  to  be 
the  rarest  specimen  than  extant  of  the  nice  proportions  of 
naval  architecture! 

Of  the  orator  himself  it  may  be  necessary  to  say  a  word, 
in  order  that  so  remarkable  an  intellectual  prodigy  should 
fill  his  proper  place  in  our  frail  and  short-lived  catalogue 
of  the  worthies  of  that  day.  He  was  the  usual  oracle  of  his 
neighborhood  when  a  condensation  of  its  ideas  on  any  great 
event,  like  the  one  just  mentioned,  became  necessary.  His 
learning  was  justly  computed,  by  comparison,  to  be  of  the 
most  profound  and  erudite  character;  and  it  was  very  truly 
affirmed  to  have  astonished  more  than  one  European  scholar, 
who  had  been  tempted  by  a  fame  which,  like  heat,  was  only 
the  more  intense  from  its  being  so  confined,  to  grapple  with 
him  on  the  arena  of  ancient  literature.  He  was  a  man  who 
knew  how  to  improve  these  high  gifts  to  his  exclusive  ad- 
vantage. In  but  one  instance  had  he  ever  been  thrown 
enough  off  his  guard  to  commit  an  act  that  had  a  tendency 
to  depress  the  reputation  he  had  thus  gained ;  and  that  was 
in  permitting  one  of  his  labored  flights  of  eloquence  to  be 
printed;  or,  as  his  more  witty  though  less  successful  rival, 
the  only  other  lawyer  in  the  place,  expressed  it,  in  suffering 
one  of  his  fugitive  essays  to  be  caught.  But  even  this  ex- 
periment, whatever  might  have  been  its  effect  abroad,  served 


1 8  THE    RED    ROVER. 

to  confirm  his  renown  at  home.  He  now  stood  before  his 
admirers  in  the  dignity  of  types ;  and  it  was  in  vain  for  that 
miserable  tribe  of  "  animalculae,  who  live  by  feeding  on  the 
body  of  genius,"  to  attempt  to  undermine  a  reputation  that 
was  embalmed  in  the  faith  of  so  many  parishes.  The 
brochure  was  diligently  scattered  through  the  provinces, 
lauded  around  the  teapot,  openly  extolled  in  the  prints — 
by  some  kindred  spirit,  as  was  manifest  in  the  similarity  of 
style — and,  by  one  believer,  more  zealous  or  perhaps  more 
interested  than  the  rest,  it  was  actually  put  on  board  the 
next  ship  which  sailed  for  "  home,"  as  England  was  then 
affectionately  termed,  enclosed  in  an  envelope  which  bore 
an  address  no  less  imposing  than  that  of  the  Majesty  of 
Britain.  Its  effects  on  the  straight-going  mind  of  the  dog- 
matic German  who  then  filled  the  throne  of  the  Conqueror 
were  never  accurately  known,  though  they,  who  were  in  the 
secret  of  the  transmission,  long  looked  in  vain  for  the 
signal  reward  that  was  to  follow  so  favorable  an  exhibition 
of  human  intellect. 

Notwithstanding  these  high  and  beneficent  gifts,  their 
possessor  was  now  as  unconsciously  engaged  in  that  portion 
of  his  professional  labors  which  bore  the  strongest  resem- 
blance to  the  occupation  of  a  scrivener,  as  if  nature,  in  be- 
stowing such  rare  endowments,  had  denied  him  the  phreno- 
logical quality  of  self-esteem.  A  critical  observer  might, 
however,  have  seen,  or  fancied  that  he  saw,  in  the  forced 
humility  of  his  countenance,  certain  gleamings  of  a  triumph 
that  might  not  be  traced  to  the  fall  of  Quebec.  The  habit 
of  appearing  meek  had,  however,  united  with  a  frugal  regard 
for  the  precious  and  irreclaimable  minutes,  in  producing 
this  extraordinary  diligence  in  a  pursuit  of  a  character  that 
was  so  humble  when  compared  with  his  recent  mental  efforts. 

Leaving  this  gifted  favorite  of  fortune  and  nature,  we 
shall  now  pass  to  an  entirely  different  individual,  and  to 
another  quarter  of  the  place.  The  spot  to  which  we  wish  to 
transport  the  reader,  was  neither  more  nor  less  than  the  shop 


THE    RED    ROVER.  1 9 

of  a  tailor,  who  did  not  disdain  to  perform  the  most  minute 
offices  of  his  vocation  in  his  own  heedful  person.  The 
humble  edifice  stood  at  no  great  distance  from  the  water,  in 
the  skirts  of  the  town,  and  in  such  a  situation  as  to  enable 
its  occupant  to  look  out  upon  the  loveliness  of  the  inner 
basin,  and,  through  a  vista  cut  by  the  element  between 
islands,  even  upon  the  lake-like  scenery  of  the  outer  har- 
bour. A  small,  though  little  frequented  wharf  lay  before 
its  door;  while  a  certain  air  of  negligence,  and  the  absence 
of  bustle,  sufficiently  manifested  that  the  place  itself  was 
not  the  immediate  site  of  the  much  boasted  commercial 
prosperity  of  the  port. 

The  afternoon  was  like  a  morning  in  spring,  the  breeze 
which  occasionally  rippled  the  basin  possessing  that  pecu- 
liarly bland  influence  which  is  so  often  felt  in  the  American 
autumn;  and  the  worthy  mechanic  labored  at  his  callings, 
seated  on  his  shop-board  at  an  open  window,  far  better  sat- 
isfied with  himself  than  many  of  those  whose  fortune  it  is 
to  be  placed  in  state,  beneath  canopies  of  velvet  and  gold. 
On  the  outer  side  of  the  little  building,  a  tall,  awkward 
but  vigorous  and  well-formed  countryman  was  lounging, 
with  one  shoulder  placed  against  the  side  of  the  shop,  as  if 
his  legs  found  the  task  of  supporting  his  heavy  frame  too 
grievous  to  be  endured  without  assistance,  seemingly  in 
waiting  for  the  completion  of  the  garment  at  which  the  other 
toiled,  and  with  which  he  intended  to  adorn  his  person,  in 
an  adjoining  parish,  on  the  succeeding  Sabbath. 

In  order  to  render  the  minutes  shorter,  and  possibly  in 
the  indulgence  of  a  very  ungovernable  propensity  to  talk,  of 
which  he  who  wielded  the  needle  was  somewhat  the  subject, 
but  few  of  the  passing  moments  were  suffered  to  escape 
without  a  word  from  one  or  the  other  of  the  parties.  As  the 
subject  of  their  discourse  had  a  direct  reference  to  the  prin- 
cipal matter  of  our  tale,  we  shall  take  leave  to  give  such 
portions  of  it  to  the  reader  as  we  deem  most  relevant  to  a 
clear  exposition  of  that  which  is  to  follow.  The  latter  will 


2O  THE    RED    ROVER. 

always  bear  in  mind  that  he  who  worked  was  a  man  drawing 
into  the  wane  of  life ;  that  he  bore  about  him  the  appear- 
ance of  one  who,  either  from  incompetency  or  from  some 
fatality  of  fortune,  had  been  doomed  to  struggle  through  the 
world,  keeping  poverty  from  his  residence  only  by  the  aid 
of  great  industry  and  rigid  frugality;  and  that  the  idler  was 
a  youth  of  that  age  and  condition  that  the  acquisition  of  an 
entire  set  of  habiliments  formed  a  sort  of  era  in  his  adven- 
tures. 

'"Yes,"  exclaimed  the  indefatigable  shaper  of  cloth,  a 
species  of  sigh  which  might  have  been  equally  construed 
into  an  evidence  of  the  fulness  of  his  mental  enjoyment,  or 
of  the  excess  of  his  bodily  labors  struggling  from  his  lips; 
"yes,  smarter  sayings  may  have  fallen  from  the  lips  of 
man,  than  such  as  the  squire  poured  out  to-day,  but  we  in 
the  provinces  have  never  heard  them.  When  he  spoke  of 
the  plains  of  Father  Abraham,  and  of  the  smoke  and  thun- 
der of  the  battle,  Pardon,  it  stirred  up  such  stomachy  feelings 
in  my  bosom,  that  I  verily  believe  I  could  have  had  the 
heart  to  throw  aside  the  thimble,  and  go  forth  myself,  to 
seek  glory  in  battling  in  the  cause  of  the  king." 

The  youth,  whose  Christian  or  "  given"  name,  as  it  is  even 
now  generally  termed  in  New  England,  had  been  intended, 
by  his  pious  sponsors,  humbly  to  express  his  future  hopes, 
turned  his  head  towards  the  heroic  tailor,  with  an  expres- 
sion of  drollery  about  the  eye  that  proved  nature  had  not 
been  niggardly  in  the  gift  of  humor,  however  the  quality 
was  suppressed  by  the  restraints  of  a  very  peculiar  manner, 
and  no  less  peculiar  education. 

"  There's  an  opening  now,  neighbor  Homespun,  for  an 
ambitious  man,"  he  said,  "sin'  his  majesty  has  lost  his 
stoutest  general." 

"Yes,  yes,"  returned  the  individual  who,  either  in  his 
youth,  or  in  his  age,  had  made  so  capital  a  blunder  in  the 
choice  of  a  profession,  "a  fine  and  promising  chance  it  is 
for  one  who  counts  only  five-and-twentyj  but  most  of  my 


THE   RED    ROVER.  21 

day  has  gone  by,  and  I  must  spend  the  rest  of  it  here,  where 
you  see  me,  between  buckram  and  osnaburghs — who  put  the 
dye  into  this  cloth,  Pardy? — it  is  the  best  laid  in  bark  I've 
fingered  this  fall." 

"  Let  the  old  woman  alone  for  giving  the  lasting  colour  to 
her  web;  I'll  engage,  neighbour  Homespun,  provided  you 
furnish  the  proper  fit,  there'll  not  be  a  better  dressed  lad  on 
the  island  than  my  own  mother's  son !  But,  sin'  you  cannot 
be  a  general,  good-man,  you'll  have  the  comfort  of  knowing 
there'll  be  no  more  fighting  without  you.  Everybody  agrees 
the  French  won't  hold  out  much  longer,  and  then  we  must 
have  a  peace  for  want  of  enemies." 

"  So  best,  so  best,  boy ;  for  one  who  has  seen  as  much  of 
the  horrors  of  war  as  I,  knows  how  to  put  a  rational  value 
on  the  blessings  of  tranquillity!" 

"  Then  you  ar'n't  altogether  unacquainted,  good-man,  with 
the  new  trade  you  thought  of  setting  up?" 

"  I ! — I  have  been  through  five  long  and  bloody  wars,  and 
I've  reason  to  thank  God  that  I've  gone  through  them  all 
without  a  scratch  as  big  as  one  this  needle  would  make. 
Five  long  and  bloody,  ay,  and  I  may  say  glorious  wars,  have 
I  liv'd  through  in  safety!" 

"  A  perilous  time  it  must  have  been  for  you,  neighbor. 
But  I  don't  remember  to  have  heard  of  more  than  two  quar- 
rels with  the  Frenchmen  in  my  day." 

"  You  are  but  a  boy  compared  to  one  who  has  seen  the 
end  of  his  third  score  of  years.  Here  is  this  war,  that  is 
now  so  likely  to  be  soon  ended.  Heaven,  which  rules  all 
things  in  wisdom,  be  praised  for  the  same !  Then  there  was 
the  business  of  '45,  when  the  bold  Warren  sailed  up  and 
down  our  coasts;  a  scourge  to  his  majesty's  enemies,  and  a 
safeguard  to  all  loyal  subjects.  Then,  there  was  a  business 
in  Garmany,  concerning  which  we  had  awful  accounts  of 
battles  fou't,  in  which  men  were  mowed  down  like  grass  fall- 
ing before  the  scythe  of  a  strong  arm.  That  makes  three;" 
cocking  his  spectacles,  and  counting  with  his  thimble  on  the 


22  THE    RED    ROVER. 

fingers  of  the  other  hand.  "  The  fourth  was  thsS  rebellion  of 
'15,  of  which  I  pretend  not  to  have  seen  much,  being  but  a 
youth  at  the  time;  and  the  fifth  was  a  dreadful  rumor  that 
was  spread  through  the  provinces,  of  a  general  rising  among 
the  blacks  and  Indians,  which  was  to  sweep  all  us  Christians 
into  eternity  at  a  minute's  warning!" 

"  Well,  I  had  always  reckoned  you  for  a  home-staying  and 
a  peaceable  man,  neighbor,"  returned  the  admiring  coun- 
tryman ;  "  nor  did  I  ever  dream  that  you  had  seen  these  se- 
rious movings." 

"  I  have  not  boasted,  Pardon,  or  I  might  have  added  othei 
heavy  matters  to  the  list.  There  was  a  great  struggle  in  the 
East,  no  longer  than  the  year  '32,  for  the  Persian  throne. 
You  have  read  of  the  laws  of  the  Medes  and  the  Persians: 
well,  for  the  very  throne  that  gave  forth  those  unalterable 
laws  was  there  a  frightful  struggle,  in  which  blood  ran  like 
water;  but,  as  it  was  not  in  Christendom,  I  do  not  account 
it  among  my  own  experiences;  though  I  might  have  spoken 
of  the  Porteous  mcb  with  great  reason,  as  it  took  place  in 
another  portion  of  the  very  kingdom  in  which  I  lived." 

"  You  must  have  journeyed  much,  and  have  been  stirring 
late  and  early,  good-man,  to  have  seen  all  these  things,  and 
to  have  got  no  harm?" 

"  I've  been  something  of  a  traveller  too,  Pardy.  Twice 
have  I  been  over  land  to  Boston,  and  once  have  I  sailed 
through  the  Great  Sound  of  Long  Island,  down  to  the  town 
of  York.  It  is  an  awful  undertaking,  the  latter  as  it  respects 
the  distance,  and  more  especially  because  it  is  needful  to 
pass  a  place  that  is  likened,  by  its  name,  to  the  entrance  of 
Tophet." 

"  I  have  often  heard  the  spot  called  'Hell  Gate'  spoken  of; 
and  I  may  say,  too,  that  I  know  a  man  well  who  has  been 
through  it  twice;  once  in  going  to  York,  and  once  in  coming 
homeward." 

"  He  had  enough  of  it,  as  I'll  engage !  Did  he  tell  you 
of  the  pot  which  tosses  and  roars  as  if  the  biggest  of  Beel- 


THE    REt)    ROVER.  23 

zebub's  fires  was  burning  beneath,  and  of  the  hog's  back 
over  which  the  water  pitches,  as  it  may  tumble  over  the 
Great  Falls  of  the  West?  Owing  to  reasonable  skill  in  our 
seamen,  and  uncommon  resolution  in  the  passengers,  we  hap- 
pily had  a  good  time  of  it  through  ourselves;  though,  I  care 
not  who  knows  it,  I  will  own  it  is  a  severe  trial  to  the  cour- 
age to  enter  that  dreadful  strait.  We  cast  out  our  anchors 
at  certain  islands,  which  lie  a  few  furlongs  this  side  the 
place,  and  sent  the  pinnace,  with  the  captain  and  two  stout 
seamen,  to  reconnoitre  the  spot,  in  order  to  see  if  it  were  in 
a  peaceful  state  or  not.  The  report  being  favorable,  the 
passengers  were  landed,  and  the  vessel  got  through,  by  the 
blessing  of  Heaven,  in  safety.  We  had  all  reason  to  rejoice 
that  the  prayers  of  the  congregation  were  asked  before  we 
departed  from  the  peace  and  security  of  our  own  homes!" 

"You  journeyed  round  the  'Gate'  on  foot?"  demanded  the 
attentive  boor. 

•  "  Certain !  It  would  have  been  a  sinful  and  a  blasphe- 
mous tempting  of  Providence  to  have  done  otherwise,  seeing 
that  our  duty  called  us  to  no  such  sacrifice.  But  all  that 
danger  is  gone  by,  and  so,  I  trust,  will  that  of  this  bloody 
war,  in  which  we  have  both  been  actors;  and  then  I  humbly 
hope  his  sacred  majesty  will  have  leisure  to  turn  his  royal 
mind  to  the  pirates  who  infest  the  coast,  and  to  order  some 
of  his  stout  naval  captains  to  mete  out  to  the  rogues  the 
treatment  they  are  so  fond  of  giving  to  others.  It  would  be 
a  joyful  sight  to  my  old  eyes  to  see  the  famous  and  long- 
hunted  Red  Rover  brought  into  this  very  port,  towing  at  the 
poop  of  a  king's  cruiser." 

"  And  is  it  a  desperate  villain,  he  of  whom  you  now  make 
mention?" 

" He!  There  are  many  hes  in  that  one  lawless  ship,  and 
bloody-minded  and  nefarious  thieves  are  they,  to  the  small- 
est boy.  It  is  heart-searching  and  grievous,  Pardy,  to  hear 
of  their  evil-doings  on  the  high  seas  of  the  king!" 

"  I  have  often  heard  mention  made  of  the  Rover,"  returned 


24  THE   RED    ROVER. 

the  countryman ;  "  but  never  to  enter  into  any  of  the  intri- 
cate particulars  of  his  knavery." 

"  How  should  you,  boy,  who  live  up  in  the  country,  know 
so  much  of  what  is  passing  on  the  great  deep,  as  we  who 
dwell  in  a  port  that  is  resorted  to  by  mariners?  I  am  fear- 
ful you'll  be  making  it  late  home,  Pardon,"  he  added,  glanc- 
ing his  eye  at  certain  lines  drawn  on  his  shop-board,  by  the 
aid  of  which  he  was  enabled  to  note  the  progress  of  the  set- 
ting sun.  "  It  is  drawing  towards  the  hour  of  five,  and  you 
have  twice  that  number  of  miles  to  go,  before  you  can,  by 
any  manner  of  means,  reach  the  nearest  boundary  of  your 
father's  farm." 

"  The  road  is  plain,  and  the  people  honest,"  returned  the 
countryman,  who  cared  not  if  it  were  midnight,  provided  he 
could  be  the  bearer  of  the  particulars  of  some  dreadful  sea 
robbery  to  the  ears  of  those  he  well  knew  would  flock  around 
him,  at  his  return,  to  hear  the  tidings  from  the  port.  "  And 
is  he,  in  truth,  so  much  feared  and  sought  for,  as  people 
say?" 

"  Is  he  sought  for!  Is  Tophet  sought  by  a  praying  Chris- 
tian? Few  there  are  on  the  mighty  deep,  let  them  even  be 
as  stout  for  battle  as  was  Joshua  the  great  Jewish  captain, 
that  would  not  rather  behold  the  land  than  see  the  top-gal- 
lants of  that  wicked  pirate!  Men  fight  for  glory,  Pardon, 
as  I  may  say  I  have  seen,  after  living  through  so  many  wars ; 
but  none  love  to  meet  an  enemy  who  hoists  a  bloody  flag  at 
the  first  blow,  and  who  is  ready  to  cast  both  parties  into  the 
air,  when  he  finds  the  hand  of  Satan  has  no  longer  the  mind 
to  help  him." 

"  If  the  rogue  is  so  desperate,"  returned  the  youth, 
straightening  his  powerful  limbs,  with  a  look  of  rising 
pride,  "  why  do  not  the  island  and  plantations  fit  out  a  coaster 
in  order  to  bring  him  in,  that  he  might  get  a  sight  of  a 
wholesome  gibbet?  Let  the  drum  beat  on  such  a  message 
through  our  neighborhood,  and  I'll  engage  that  it  don't 
leave  it  without  one  volunteer  at  least." 


THE    RED    ROVER.  2$ 

"So  much  foi  not  having  seen  war!  Of  what  use  would 
flails  and  pitchforks  prove  against  men  who  have  sold  them- 
selves to  the  devil?  Often  has  the  Rover  been  seen  at 
night,  or  just  as  the  sun  has  been  going  down,  by  the  king's 
cruisers,  who,  having  fairly  surrounded  the  thieves,  had 
good  reason  to  believe  that  they  had  them  already  in  the 
bilboes;  but,  when  the  morning  has  come,  the  prize  was 
vanished,  by  fair  means  or  by  foul!" 

"  And  are  the  villains  so  bloody-minded  that  they  are 
called 'Red'?" 

"  Such  is  the  title  of  their  leader,"  returned  the  worthy 
tailor,  who  by  this  time  was  swelling  with  the  importance 
of  possessing  so  interesting  a  legend  to  communicate;  "and 
such  is  also  the  name  they  give  to  his  vessel ;  because  no 
man,  who  has  put  foot  on  board  her  has  ever  come  back  to 
say  that  she  has  a  better  or  a  worse;  that  is,  no  honest  mar- 
iner or  lucky  voyager.  The  ship  is  of  the  size  of  a  king's 
sloop,  they  say,  and  of  like  equipments  and  form :  but  she 
has  miraculously  escaped  from  the  hands  of  many  a  gallant 
frigate;  and  once,  it  is  whispered,  for  no  loyal  subject  would 
like  to  say  so  scandalous  a  thing  openly,  Pardon,  that  she 
lay  under  the  guns  of  a  fifty  for  an  hour,  and  seemingly,  to 
all  eyes,  she  sunk  like  hammered  lead  to  the  bottom.  But 
just  as  everybody  was  shaking  hands,  and  wishing  his 
neighbor  joy  at  so  happy  a  punishment  coming  over  the 
knaves,  a  West-Indiaman  came  into  port,  that  had  been 
robbed  by  the  Rover  on  the  morning  after  the  night  in 
which  it  was  thought  they  had  all  gone  into  eternity  to- 
gether. And  what  makes  the  matter  worse,  boy,  while  the 
king's  ship  was  careening  with  her  keel  out  to  stop  the  holes 
of  cannon-balls,  the  pirate  was  sailing  up  and  down  the 
coast,  as  sound  as  the  day  that  the  wrights  first  turned  her 
from  their  hands!" 

"Well,  this  is  unheard  of!"  returned  the  countryman,  on 
whom  the  tale  was  beginning  to  make  a  sensible  impression. 
"Is  she  a  well-turned  and  comely  ship  to  the  eye?  or  is  it 


26  THE    RED    ROVER. 

by  any  means  certain  that  she  is  an  actual  living  vessel  at 
all?" 

"Opinions  differ.  Some  say,  yes;  some  say,  no.  But  I 
am  well  acquainted  with  a  man  who  travelled  a  week  in 
company  with  a  mariner,  who  passed  within  a  hundred  fath- 
oms of  her,  in  a  gale  of  wind.  Lucky  it  was  for  them  that 
the  hand  of  the  Lord  was  felt  so  powerfully  on  the  deep, 
and  that  the  Rover  had  enough  to  do  to  keep  his  own  ship 
from  foundering.  The  acquaintance  of  my  friend  had  a 
good  view  of  both  vessel  and  captain,  therefore,  in  perfect 
safety.  He  said  that  the  pirate  was  a  man  may-be  half  as 
big  again  as  the  tall  preacher  over  on  the  main,  with  hair  of 
the  color  of  the  sun  in  a  fog,  and  eyes  that  no  man  would 
like  to  look  upon  a  second  time.  He  saw  him  as  plainly  as 
I  see  you;  for  the  knave  stood  in  the  rigging  of  his  ship, 
beckoning,  with  a  hand  as  big  as  a  coat-flap,  for  the  honest 
trader  to  keep  off,  in  order  that  the  two  vessels  might  not  do 
one  another  damage  by  coming  foul." 

"  He  was  a  bold  mariner,  that  trader,  to  go  so  nigh  such  a 
merciless  rogue." 

"  I  warrant  you,  Pardon,  it  was  desperately  against  his 
will !  But  it  was  on  a  night  so  dark " 

"Dark!"  interrupted  the  other,  who  had  the  inquisitive 
shrewdness  of  a  New  Englander,  notwithstanding  his  dispo- 
sition to  credulity;  "by  what  contrivance,  then,  did  he 
manage  to  see  so  well?" 

"  No  man  can  say!"  answered  the  tailor;  "but  see  he  did, 
just  in  the  manner  and  the  very  things  I  have  named  to  you. 
More  than  that,  he  took  good  note  of  the  vessel,  that  he 
might  know  her,  if  chance  or  Providence  should  ever  happen 
to  throw  her  again  into  his  way.  She  was  a  long  black  ship, 
lying  low  in  the  water,  like  a  snake  in  the  grass,  with  a  des- 
perate wicked  look,  and  altogether  of  dishonest  dimensions. 
Then,  everybody  says  that  she  appears  to  sail  faster  than 
the  clouds  above,  seeming  to  care  little  which  way  the  wind 
blows,  and  that  no  one  is  a  jot  safer  from  her  speed  than 


THE    RED    ROVER.  2? 

her  honesty.  According  to  all  that  I  have  heard,  she  is 
something  such  a  craft  as  yonder  slaver  that  has  been  lying 
the  week  past,  the  Lord  knows  why,  in  our  outer  harbor." 

As  the  gossiping  tailor  had  necessarily  lost  many  precious 
moments  in  relating  the  preceding  history,  he  now  set  about 
redeeming  them  with  the  utmost  diligence,  keeping  time  to 
the  rapid  movement  of  his  needle-hand,  by  corresponding 
jerks  of  his  head  and  shoulders.  In  the  mean  while  the 
bumpkin,  whose  wondering  mind  was  by  this  time  charged 
nearly  to  bursting  with  what  he  had  heard,  turned  his  look 
towards  the  vessel  the  other  had  pointed  out,  in  order  to  get 
the  only  image  that  was  now  required,  to  enable  him  to  do 
credit  to  so  moving  a  tale,  suitably  engraved  on  his  imagina- 
tion. There  was  necessarily  a  pause,  while  the  respective 
parties  were  thus  severally  occupied.  It  was  suddenly 
broken  by  the  tailor,  who  clipped  the  thread  with  which  he 
had  just  finished  the  garment,  cast  everything  from  his 
hands,  threw  his  spectacles  upon  his  forehead,  and,  leaning 
his  arms  on  his  knees  in  such  a  manner  as  to  form  a  perfect 
labyrinth  with  the  limbs,  he  stretched  his  body  forward  so 
far  as  to  lean  out  of  the  window,  riveting  his  eyes  also  on 
the  ship  which  still  attracted  the  gaze  of  his  companion. 

"  Do  you  know,  Pardy,"  he  said,  "  that  strange  thoughts 
and  cruel  misgivings  have  come  over  me  concerning  that 
very  vessel?  They  say  she  is  a  slaver  come  in  for  wood 
and  water,  and  there  she  has  been  a  week,  and  not  a  stick 
bigger  than  an  oar  has  gone  up  her  side;  and  I'll  engage 
that  ten  drops  from  Jamaica  have  gone  on  board  her,  to  one 
from  the  spring.  Then,  you  may  see,  she  is  anchored  in 
such  a  way  that  but  one  of  the  guns  from  the  battery  can 
touch  her;  whereas,  had  shebeen  a  real  timid  trader,  she 
would  naturally  have  got  into  a  place  where,  if  a  straggling 
picaroon  should  come  into  the  port,  he  would  have  found 
her  in  the  very  hottest  of  the  fire." 

"  You  have  an  ingenious  turn  with  you,  good-man,"  re- 
turned the  wondering  countryman ;  "  now,  a  ship  might  have 


28  THE    RED    ROVER. 

lain  on  the  battery- island  itself,  and  I  would  have  hardly 
noticed  the  thing.'7 

"  'Tis  use  and  experience,  Pardon,  that  makes  men  of  us 
all.  I  should  know  something  of  batteries,  having  seen  so 
many  wars,  and  I  served  a  campaign  of  a  week  in  that  very 
fort,  when  the  rumor  came  that  the  French  were  sending 
cruisers  from  L'ouisburg  down  the  coast.  For  that  matter, 
my  duty  was  to  stand  sentinel  over  that  very  cannon ;  and, 
if  I  have  done  the  thing  once,  I  have  twenty  times  squinted 
along  the  piece  to  see  in  what  quarter  it  would  send  its  shot, 
provided  such  a  calamity  should  arrive  as  that  it  might  be- 
come necessary  to  fire  it,  loaded  with  real  warlike  balls." 

"And  who  are  these?"  demanded  Pardon,  with  that  spe- 
cies of  sluggish  curiosity  which  had  been  awakened  by  the 
wonders  related  by  the  other;  "  are  these  mariners  of  the 
slaver,  or  are  they  idle  Newporters?" 

"They!"  exclaimed  the  tailor:  "sure  enough  they  are 
new-comers;  it  may  be  well  to  have  a  closer  look  at  them  in 
these  troublesome  times!  Here,  Nab,  take  the  garment  and 
press  down  the  seams,  you  idle  hussy;  for  neighbor  Hop- 
kins is  straitened  for  time,  while  your  tongue  is  going  like 
a  young  lawyer's  in  a  justice's  court.  Don't  be  sparing  of 
your  elbow,  girl ;  for  it's  no  Indian  muslin  that  you'll  have 
under  the  iron,  but  cloth  that  would  do  to  side  a  house  with. 
Ah !  your  mother's  loom,  Pardy,  robs  the  seamster  of  many 
an  honest  job." 

Having  thus  transferred  the  remainder  of  the  job  from  his 
own  hands  to  those  of  an  awkward  pouting  girl,  who  was 
compelled  to  abandon  her  gossip  with  a  neighbor,  in  order 
to  obey  his  injunctions,  he  quickly  removed  his  own  person, 
notwithstanding  a  miserable  limp  with  which  he  had  come 
into  the  world,  from  the  shop-board  to  the  open  air.  As 
more  important  characters  are,  however,  about  to  be  intro- 
duced to  the  reader,  we  shall  defer  the  ceremony  to  the 
opening  of  another  chapter. 


THE    RED   ROVER. 


CHAPTER   II. 

SIR  TOBY  !    Excellent !  I  smell  a  device. 

Twelfth  Night. 

THE  strangers  were  three  in  number;  for  strangers  the 
good-man  Homespun,  who  knew  not  only  the  names  but 
most  of  the  private  histories  of  every  man  and  woman  within 
ten  miles  of  his  own  residence,  immediately  proclaimed 
them  to  be  in  a  whisper  to  his  companion ;  and  strangers, 
too,  of  a  mysterious  and  threatening  aspect.  In  order  that 
others  may  have  an  opportunity  of  judging  of  the  probability 
of  the  latter  conjecture,  it  becomes  necessary  that  a  more 
minute  account  should  be  given  of  the  respective  appear- 
ances of  these  individuals,  who,  unhappily  for  their  reputa- 
tions, temporarily  at  least,  had  the  misfortune  to  be  unknown 
to  the  gossiping  tailor  of  Newport. 

The  one  by  far  the  most  imposing  in  his  general  mien, 
was  a  youth  who  had  apparently  seen  some  six  or  seven  and 
twenty  seasons.  That  those  seasons  had  not  been  entirely 
made  of  sunny  days  and  nights  of  repose,  was  betrayed  by 
the  tinges  of  brown  which  had  been  laid  on  his  features, 
layer  after  layer,  in  such  consta'nt  succession,  as  to  have 
changed  to  a  deep  olive  a  complexion  which  had  once  been 
fair,  and  through  which  the  rich  blood  was  still  mantling 
with  the  finest  glow  of  vigorous  health.  His  features  were 
rather  noble  and  manly  than  distinguished  for  their  exact- 
ness and  symmetry ;  his  nose  being  far  more  bold  and  prom- 
inent than  regular  in  its  form,  with  his  brows  projecting, 
and  sufficiently  marked  to  give  to  the  whole  of  the  superior 
parts  of  his  face  that  decided  intellectual  expression  which 
is  already  becoming  so  common  to  American  physiognomy. 
The  mouth  was  firm  and  manly;  and,  while  he  muttered  to 
himself  and  smiled,  as  the  curious  tailor  drew  slowly  nigher, 
it  discovered  a  set  of  glittering  teeth  that  shone  the  brighter 


3<D  THE    RED    ROVER. 

from  being  cased  in  so  dark  a  setting.  The  hair  was  a  jet 
black,  in  thick  and  confused  ringlets;  and  the  eyes  were 
very  little  larger  than  common,  grey,  and,  though  evidently 
of  a  changing  expression,  rather  leaning  to  mildness  than 
severity.  The  form  of  this  young  man  was  of  that  happy 
size  which  unites  activity  with  strength.  It  seemed  to  be 
well  knit,  while  it  was  justly  proportioned,  and  graceful. 
Though  these  several  personal  qualifications  were  exhibited 
under  the  disadvantages  of  the  perfectly  simple,  though  neat 
and  rather  tastefully  disposed  attire  of  a  common  mariner, 
they  were  sufficiently  imposing  to  cause  the  suspicious  dealer 
in  buckram  to  hesitate  before  he  would  venture  to  address 
the  stranger,  whose  eye  appeared  fastened,  by  a  species  of 
fascination,  on  the  reputed  slaver  in  the  outer  harbour.  A 
curl  of  the  upper  lip,  and  another  inexplicable  smile,  in 
which  some  strong  feeling  was  mingled  with  his  mutterings, 
decided  the  vacillating  mind  of  the  good-man.  Without 
venturing  to  disturb  a  reverie  that  seemed  so  profound,  he 
left  the  youth  leaning  against  the  head  of  the  pile  where  he 
had  long  been  standing  perfectly  unconscious  of  the  pres- 
ence of  any  intruder,  and  turned  a  little  hastily,  to  examine 
the  rest  of  the  party. 

One  of  the  remaining  two  was  a  white  man,  and  the  other 
a  negro.  Both  had  passed  the  middle  age;  and  both,  in 
their  appearances, furnished  the  strongest  proofs  of  long  ex- 
posure to  the  severity  of  many  climates,  and  to  numberless 
tempests.  They  were  dressed  in  the  plain,  weather-soiled, 
and  tarred  habiliments  of  common  seamen,  bearing  about 
their  persons  the  other  unerring  evidences  of  their  peculiar 
profession.  The  former  was  of  a  short,  thickset,  powerful 
frame,  in  which, by  a  happy  ordering  of  nature,  a  little  con- 
firmed perhaps  by  long  habit,  the  strength  was  principally 
seated  about  the  broad  and  brawny  shoulders  and  sinewy 
arms;  as  if,  in  the  construction  of  the  man,  the  inferior 
members  had  been  considered  of  little  other  use  than  to 
transfer  the  superior  to  the  different  situations  in  which  the 


THE   RED    ROVER.  31 

fomer  were  to  display  their  energies.  His  head  was  in 
proportion  to  the  more  immediate  members;  the  forehead 
low,  and  nearly  covered  with  hair;  the  eyes  small,  obsti- 
nate, sometimes  fierce,  and  often  dull ;  the  nose  snub,  coarse, 
and  vulgar;  the  mouth  large  and  voracious;  the  teeth  short, 
clean,  and  perfectly  sound;  and  the  chin  broad,  manly,  and 
even  expressive.  This  singularly  constructed  personage  had 
taken  his  seat  on  an  empty  barrel,  and,  with  folded  arms, 
he  sat  examining  the  often-mentioned  slaver,  occasionally 
favoring  his  companion,  the  black,  with  such  remarks  as 
were  suggested  by  his  observation  and  experience. 

The  negro  occupied  a  more  humble  post ;  one  better  suited 
to  his  subdued  habits  and  inclinations.  In  stature,  and  the 
peculiar  division  of  animal  force,  there  was  a  great  resem- 
blance between  the  two,  with  the  exception  that  the  latter 
enjoyed  the  advantage  in  height,  and  even  in  proportions. 
While  nature  had  stamped  on  his  lineaments  those  distin- 
guishing marks  which  characterize  the  race  from  which  he 
sprang,  she  had  not  done  it  to  that  revolting  degree  to  which 
her  displeasure  against  that  stricken  people  is  sometimes 
carried.  His  features  were  more  elevated  than  common; 
his  eye  was  mild,  easily  excited  to  joy,  and,  like  that  of  his 
companion,  sometimes  humorous.  His  head  was  beginning 
to  be  sprinkled  with  gray,  his  skin  had  lost  the  shining  jet 
color  which  had  distinguished  it  in  his  youth,  and  all  his 
limbs  and  movements  bespoke  a  man  whose  frame  had  been 
equally  indurated  and  stiffened  by  toil.  He  sat  on  a  low 
stone,  and  seemed  intently  employed  in  tossing  pebbles  into 
the  air,  showing  his  dexterity  by  catching  them  in  the  hand 
from  which  they  had  just  been  cast ;  an  amusement  which 
betrayed  alike  the  natural  tendency  of  his  mind  to  seek 
pleasure  in  trifles,  and  the  absence  of  the  more  elevating 
feelings  which  are  the  fruits  of  education.  The  process, 
however,  furnished  a  striking  exhibition  of  the  physical 
force  of  the  negro.  In  order  to  conduct  this  trivial  pursuit 
without  encumbrance,  he  had  rolled  the  sleeve  of  his  light 


32  THE    RED    ROVER. 

canvas  jacket  to  the  elbow,  laying  bare,  by  the  act,  an  arm 
that  might  have  served  as  a  model  for  the  limb  of  Hercules. 

There  was  certainly  nothing  sufficiently  imposing  about 
the  persons  of  either  of  these  individuals  to  repel  the  inves- 
tigations of  one  as  much  influenced  by  curiosity  as  was  our 
tailor.  Instead,  however,  of  yielding  directly  to  the  strong 
impulse,  the  honest  shaper  of.  cloth  chose  to  direct  his  ad- 
vance in  a  manner  that  should  give  the  bumpkin  a  striking 
proof  of  his  sagacity.  After  making  a  sign  of  caution  and 
intelligence  to  the  latter,  he  approached  slowly  from  behind, 
with  a  light  step,  that  might  give  him  an  opportunity  of  hear- 
ing any  secret  that  should  unwittingly  fall  from  either  of  the 
"seamen.  His  forethought  was  followed  by  no  very  impor- 
tant results,  though  it  served  to  supply  his  suspicions  with 
all  the  additional  testimony  of  the  treachery  of  their  charac- 
ters that  could  be  furnished  by  evidence  so  simple  as  the 
mere  sound  of  their  voices.  As  to  the  words  themselves, 
though  the  good-man  believed  they  might  possibly  contain 
treason,  he  was  compelled  to  acknowledge  to  himself  that  it 
was  so  artfully  concealed  as  to  escape  even'  his  acuteness. 
We  leave  the  reader  himself  to  judge  of  the  correctness  of 
both  opinions. 

"  This  is  a  pretty  bight  of  a  basin,  Guinea,"  observed  the 
white,  rolling  his  tobacco  in  his  mouth,  and  turning  his 
eyes,  for  the  first  time  in  many  minutes,  from  the  vessel ; 
"  and  a  spot  is  it  that  a  man,  who  lay  on  a  lee-shore  without 
sticks,  might  be  glad  to  see  his  craft  in.  Now  do  I  call 
myself  something  of  a  seaman,  and  yet  I  cannot  weather 
upon  the  philosophy  of  that  fellow  in  keeping  his  ship  in 
the  outer  harbor,  when  he  might  warp  her  into  this  mill- 
pond  in  half  an  hour.  It  gives  his  boats  hard  duty,  dusky 
S'ip;  and  that  I  call  making  foul  weather  of  fair!" 

The  negro  had  been  christened  Scipio  Africanus,  by  a 
species  of  witticism  which  was  much  more  common  to  the 
Provinces  than  it  is  to  the  States  of  America,  and  which 
filled  so  many  of  the  meaner  employments  of  the  country, 


THE   RED    ROVER.  33 

in  name  at  least,  with  the  counterparts  of  the  philosophers, 
heroes,  poets,  and  princes  of  Rome.  To  him  it  was  a  matter 
of  small  moment,  whether  the  vessel  lay  in  the  offing  or  in 
the  port;  and  without  discontinuing  his  childish  amusement, 
he  manifested  the  same,  by  replying,  with  great  indiffer- 
ence: 

"  I  s'pose  he  t'ink  all  the  water  inside  lie  on  a  top." 

"  I  tell  you,  Guinea,"  returned  the  other,  in  a  harsh,  posi- 
tive tone,  "  the  fellow  is  a  know-nothing!  Would  any  man, 
who  understands  the  behavior  of  a  ship,  keep  his  craft  in  a 
roadstead,  when  he  might  tie  her,-head  and  heels,  in  a  basin 
like  this?" 

"  What  he  call  roadstead?"  interrupted  the  negro,  seizing 
at  once,  with  the  avidity  of  ignorance,  on  the  little  oversight 
of  his  adversary,  in  confounding  the  outer  harbor  of  New- 
port with  the  wilder  anchorage  below,  and  with  the  usual 
indifference  of  all  similar  people  to  the  more  material  mat- 
ter of  whether  the  objection  was  at  all  germane  to  the  point 
at  issue ;  "  I  never  hear  'em  call  anchoring  ground,  with 
land  around  it,  roadstead  afore!" 

"  Hark  ye,  Mister  Gold-coast,"  muttered  the  white,  bend- 
ing his  head  aside  in  a  threatening  manner,  though  he  still 
disdained  to  turn  his  eyes  on  his  humble  adversary,  "  if 
you've  no  wish  to  wear  your  shins  parcelled  for  the  next 
month,  gather  in  the  slack  of  your  wit,  and  have  an  eye  to 
the  manner  in  which  you  let  it  run  again.  Just  tell  me  this; 
isn't  a  port  a  port? — and  isn't  an  offing  an  offing?" 

As  these  were  two  propositions  to  which  even  the  inge- 
nuity of  Scipio  could  raise  no  plausible  objection,  he  wisely 
declined  touching  on  either,  contenting  himself  with  shak- 
ing his  head  in  self-complacency,  and  laughing  as  heartily 
at  his  imaginary  triumph  over  his  companion,  as  if  he  had 
never  known  care,  nor  been  the  subject  of  wrong  and  humil- 
iation, so  long  and  so  patiently  endured. 

"  Ay,  ay,"  grumbled  the  white,  re-adjusting  his  person  in 
its  former  composed  attitude,  and  again  crossing  the  arras, 


34  THE    RED    ROVER. 

which  had  been  a  little  separated,  to  give  force  to  the  men- 
ace against  the  tender  member  of  the  black,  "  now  you  are 
piping  the  wind  out  of  your  throat  like  a  flock  of  long-shore 
crows,  you  think  you've  got  the  best  of  the  matter.  The 
Lord  made  a  nigger  an  unrational  animal;  and  an  expe- 
rienced seaman,  who  has  doubled  both  Capes,  and  made  all 
the  headlands  atween  Fundy  and  Horn,  has  no  right  to 
waste  his  breath  in  teaching  common  sense  to  any  of  the 
breed!  I  tell  you,  Scipio,  since  Scipio  is  your  name  on  the 
ship's  books — though  I'll  wager  a  month's  pay  against  a 
wooden  boat-hook,  that  your  father  was  known  at  home  at 
Quashee,  and  your  mother  as  Quasheeba — therefore  do  I 
tell  you,  Scipio  Africa — which  is  a  name  for  all  your  color, 
I  believe — that  yonder  chap,  in  the  outer  harbor  of  this 
here  seaport,  is  no  judge  of  an  anchorage,  or  he  would  drop 
a  kedge,  mayhap  hereaway,  in  a  line  with  the  southern  end 
of  that  there  small  matter  of  an  island,  and  hauling  his  ship 
up  to  it,  fasten  her  to  the  spot  with  good  hempen  cables  and 
iron  mud-hooks.  Now,  look  you  here,  S'ip,  at  the  reason  of 
the  matter,"  he  continued,  in  a  manner  which  showed  that 
the  little  skirmish  that  had  just  passed  was  like  one  of  those 
sudden  squalls  of  which  they  had  both  seen  so  many,  and 
which  were  usually  so  soon  succeeded  by  corresponding  sea- 
sons of  calm, — "  look  you  at  the  rationality  of  what  I  say. 
He  has  come  into  this  anchorage  either  for  something  or  for 
nothing.  I  suppose  you  are  ready  to  admit  that.  If  for 
nothing,  he  might  have  found  that  much  outside,  and  I'll 
say  no  more  about  it;  but  if  for  something,  he  could  get  it 
off  easier,  provided  the  ship  lay  hereaway,  just  where  I  told 
you,  boy,  not  a  fathom  ahead  or  astern,  than  where  she  is 
now  riding,  though  the  article  was  no  heavier  than  a  fresh 
handful  of  feathers  for  the  captain's  pillow.  Now,  if  you 
have  any  thing  to  gainsay  the  reason  of  this,  why,  I'm  ready 
to  hear  it  as  a  reasonable  man,  and  one  who  has  not  forgot- 
ten his  manners  in  picking  up  his  learning." 

"  3'pose  a  wind  come  out  fresh  here  at  nor-west,"  ar*- 


THE   RED    ROVER,  35 

swered  the  other,  stretching  his  brawny  arm  towards  the 
point  of  the  compass  he  named,  "  and  a  vessel  want  to  get 
to  sea  in  a  hurry,  how  you  t'ink  he  get  her  far  enough  up  to 
lay  through  the  weather  reach?  Ha!  you  answer  me  dat; 
you  great  scholar,  Misser  Dick,  but  you  never  see  ship  go  in 
wind's  teeth,  or  hear  a  monkey  talk." 

"The  black  is  right!"  exclaimed  the  youth,  who,  it  would 
seem,  had  overheard  the  dispute,  while  he  appeared  other- 
wise engaged;  "the  slaver  has  left  his  vessel  in  the  outer 
harbor,  knowing  that  the  wind  holds  so  much  to  the  west- 
ward at  this  season  of  the  year ;  and  then  you  see  he  keeps 
his  light  spars  aloft,  although  it  is  plain  enough,  by  the 
manner  in  which  his  sails  are  furled,  that  he  is  strong- 
handed.  Can  you  make  out,  boys,  whether  he  has  an  anchor 
under  foot,  or  is  he  merely  riding  by  a  single  cable?" 

"  The  man  must  be  a  driveller,  to  lie  in  such  a  tides-way 
without  dropping  his  stream,  or  at  least  a  kedge,  to  steady 
the  ship  by,"  returned  the  white,  without  appearing  to  think 
any  thing  more  than  the  received  practice  of  seamen  neces- 
sary to  decide  the  point.  "  That  he  is  no  great  judge  of  an 
anchorage,  I  am  ready  to  allow;  but  no  man  who  can  keep 
things  so  snug  aloft,  would  think  of  fastening  his  ship,  for 
any  length  of  time,  by  a  single  cable,  to  sheer  starboard  and 
port,  like  that  kicking  colt,  tied  to  the  tree  by  a  long  halter, 
that  we  fell  in  with  in  our  passage  overland  from  Boston." 

"  'Em  got  a  stream  down,  and  all  he  rest  of  he  anchor 
stowed,"  said  the  black,  whose  dark  eye  was  glancing  under- 
standingly  at  the  vessel,  while  he  still  continued  to  cast  his 
pebbles  into  the  air.  "  S'pose  he  jam  he  helm  hard  a-port, 
Misser  Harry,  and  take  a  tide  on  he  larboard  bow,  what 
you  t'ink  make  him  kick  and  gallop  about!  Golly!  I  like 
to  see  Dick,  without  a  foot-rope,  ride  a  colt  tied  to  he  tree!" 

Again  the  negro  enjoyed  his  humor,  by  shaking  his  head 
as  if  his  whole  soul  was  amused  by  the  whimsical  image  his 
rude  fancy  had  conjured,  indulging  in  a  hearty  laugh  till 
the  tears  came,  and  again  his  white  companion  muttered 


36  THE    RED    ROVER. 

heavy  and  sententious  denunciations.  The  young  man,  who 
seemed  to  enter  very  little  into  the  quarrels  and  witticisms 
of  his  singular  associates,  still  kept  his  gaze  intently  fastened 
on  the  vessel,  which  to  him  appeared,  for  the  moment,  to  be 
the  subject  of  some  extraordinary  interest.  Shaking  his 
own  head,  though  in  a  far  graver  manner,  as  if  his  doubts 
were  drawing  to  a  close,  he  added,  when  the  boisterous  mer- 
riment of  the  negro  had  ceased : 

"  Scipio,  you  are  right :  he  rides  altogether  by  his  stream, 
and  he  keeps  everything  in  readiness  for  a  sudden  move. 
In  ten  minutes  he  could  carry  his  ship  beyond  the  fire  of  the 
battery,  provided  he  had  but  a  capful  of  wind." 

"You  appear  to  be  a  capital  judge  in  these  matters,"  said 
a  voice  behind  him. 

The  youth  turned  suddenly  on  his  heel,  and  then,  for  the 
first  time,  was  he  apprised  of  the  presence  of  intruders.  The 
surprise,  however,  was  not  confined  to  himself;  for,  as  there 
was  another  new-comer  to  be  added  to  the  company,  the  gos- 
siping tailor  was  quite  as  much,  or  even  more,  the  subject 
of  astonishment  than  any  of  that  party  which  he  had  been 
so  intently  watching  as  to  have  prevented  him  from  observ- 
ing the  approach  of  another  utter  stranger. 

The  new-comer  was  a  man  between  thirty  and  forty,  and 
of  a  mien  and  an  attire  not  a  little  adapted  to  quicken  the 
active  curiosity  of  the  good-man  Homespun.  His  person 
was  slight,  but  it  afforded  the  promise  of  exceeding  agility, 
and  even  of  vigor,  especially  when  contrasted  with  his 
stature,  which  was  scarcely  equal  to  the  medium  height  of 
man.  His  skin  had  been  dazzling  as  that  of  woman,  though 
a  deep  red,  which  had  taken  possession  of  th x  lower  linea- 
ments of  his  face,  and  which  was  particularly  conspicuous 
on  the  outline  of  a  fine  aquiline  nose,  served  to  destroy  all 
appearance  of  effeminacy.  His  hair  was,  like  his  complex- 
ion, fair,  and  fell  about  his  temples  in  rich,  glossy,  and  ex- 
uberant curls.  His  mouth  and  chin  were  beautiful  in  their 
formation;  but  the  former  was  a  little  scornful,  and  the  two 


THE   RED    ROVER.  37 

together  bore  a  decided  character  of  voluptuousness.  The 
eye  was  blue,  full  without  being  prominent,  and,  though  in 
common  placid  and  even  soft,  there  were  moments  when  it 
seemed  a  little  unsettled  and  wild.  He  wore  a  high  conical 
hat,  placed  a  little  on  one  side,  so  as  to  give  a  slightly  rak- 
ish expression  to  his  physiognomy,  a  riding-frock  of  light 
green,  breeches  of  buckskin,  high  boots,  and  spurs.  In  one 
of  his  hands  he  carried  a  small  whip,  with  which,  when  first 
seen,  he  was  cutting  the  air  with  an  appearance  of  the  utmost 
indifference  to  the  surprise  occasioned  by  his  sudden  inter- 
ruption. 

"  I  say,  sir,  you  seem  to  me  to  be  an  excellent  judge  in 
these  matters,"  he  repeated,  when  he  had  endured  the  frown- 
ing examination  of  the  young  seaman  quite  as  long  as  com- 
ported with  his  own  patience;  "you  speak  like  a  man  who 
at  least  feels  that  he  has  a  right  to  give  an  opinion." 

"  Do  you  find  it  remarkable  that  one  should  not  be  igno- 
rant of  a  profession  that  he  has  diligently  pursued  for  a 
whole  life?" 

"  Hum !  I  find  it  a  little  remarkable  that  one,  whose  busi- 
ness is  that  of  a  handicraft,  should  dignify  his  trade  with 
such  a  sounding  name  as  profession.  We  of  the  science  of 
the  law,  and  who  enjoy  the  particular  smiles  of  the  learned 
universities,  cannot  say  much  more!" 

"  Then  call  it  trade ;  for  nothing  in  common  with  gentle- 
men of  your  craft  is  acceptable  to  a  seaman,"  retorted  the 
young  mariner,  turning  away  from  the  intruder  with  a  dis- 
gust that  he  did  not  effect  to  conceal. 

"A  lad  of  some  mettle!"  muttered  the  other, with  a  rapid 
utterance  and  a  meaning  smile.  "Let  not  such  a  trifle  as  a 
word  part  us,  friend.  I  confess  my  ignorance  of  all  mari- 
time matters,  and  would  gladly  learn  a  little  from  one  as 
skilful  as  yourself  in  the  noble — profession.  I  think  you 
said  something  concerning  the  manner  in  which  yonder 
ship  has  anchored,  and  of  the  condition  in  which  they  keep 
things  alow  and  aloft  ?" 


38  THE    RED    ROVER. 

"Alow  and  aloft!"  exclaimed  the  young  sailor,  facing  his 
interrogator  with  a  stare  that  was  quite  as  expressive  as  his 
recent  disgust. 

"Alow  and  aloft!"  calmly  repeated  the  other. 

"  I  spoke  of  her  neatness  aloft,  but  do  not  affect  to  judge 
of  things  below  at  this  distance." 

"Then  it  was  my  error;  but  you  will  have  pity  on  the 
ignorance  of  one  who  is  so  new  to  the  profession.  As  I  have 
intimated,  I  am  no  more  than  an  unworthy  barrister  in  the 
service  of  his  majesty,  expressly  sent  from  home  on  a  par- 
ticular errand.  If  it  were  not  a  pitiful  pun,  I  might  add,  I 
am  not  yet  a  judge." 

"  No  doubt  you  will  soon  arrive  at  that  distinction,"  re- 
turned the  other,  "  if  his  majesty's  ministers  have  any  just 
conceptions  of  modest  merit;  unless,  indeed,  you  should 
happen  to  be  prematurely 

The  youth  bit  his  lip,  made  a  quick  inclination  of  the 
head,  and  walked  leisurely  up  the  wharf,  followed  with  the 
same  appearance  of  deliberation  by  the  two  seamen  who  had 
accompanied  him  in  his  visit  to  the  place.  The  stranger 
in  green  watched  the  whole  movement  with  a  calm  and  ap- 
parently an  amused  eye,  tapping  his  boot  with  his  whip,  and 
seeming  to  reflect  like  one*  who  would  willingly  find  means 
to  continue  the  discourse. 

"  Hanged !"  he  at  length  uttered,  as  if  to  complete  the  sen- 
tence the  other  had  left  unfinished.  "  It  is  droll  enough 
that  such  a  fellow  should  dare  to  foretell  so  elevated  a  fate 
for  me! 

He  was  evidently  preparing  to  follow  the  retiring  party, 
when  he  felt  a  hand  laid  a  little  unceremoniously  on  his 
arm,  and  his  step  was  arrested. 

"One  word  in  your  ear,  sir,"  said  the  attentive  tailor, 
making  a  significant  sign  that  he  had  matters  of  importance 
to  communicate:  "a  single  word,  sir,  since  you  are  in  the 
particular  service  of  his  majesty.  Neighbor  Pardon,"  he 
continued,  with  a  patronizing  air,  "  the  sun  is  getting  low,  and 


THE   RED   ROVER.  39 

you  will  make  it  late  home,  I  fear.  The  girl  will  give  you 
the  garment,  and — God  speed  you!  Say  nothing  of  what 
you  have  heard  and  seen,  until  you  have  had  word  from  me 
to  that  effect;  for  it  is  seemly  that  two  men,  who  have  had 
so  much  experience  in  a  war  like  this,  should  not  lack  in 
discretion.  Fare  ye  well,  lad! — pass  the  good  word  to  the 
worthy  farmer,  your  father,  not  forgetting  a  refreshing  hint 
of  friendship  to  the  thrifty  housewife,  your  mother.  Fare 
ye  well,  honest  youth,  fare  ye  well!" 

Homespun,  having  thus  disposed  of  his  admiring  com- 
panion, waited,  with  much  elevation  of  mien,  until  the  gaping 
bumpkin  had  left  the  wharf,  before  he  again  turned  his 
look  on  the  stranger  in  green.  The  latter  had  continued  in 
his  tracks,  with  an  air  of  undisturbed  composure,  until  he 
was  once  more  addressed  by  the  tailor,  whose  character  and 
dimensions  he  seemed  to  have  taken  in,  at  a  single  glance 
of  his  rapid  eye. 

"You  say,  sir,  you  are  a  servant  of  his  majesty?"  de- 
manded the  latter,  determined  to  solve  all  doubts  as  to  the 
other's  claims  on  his  confidence,  before  he  committed  him- 
self by  any  precipitate  disclosure. 

"I  may  say  more; — his  familiar  confidant!" 

"  It  is  an  honor  to  converse  with  such  a  man,  that  I  feel 
in  every  bone  of  my  body,"  returned  the  cripple,  smoothing 
his  scanty  hairs,  and  bowing  nearly  to  the  earth;  "a  high 
and  loyal  honor  do  I  feel  this  gracious  privilege  to  be." 

"  Such  as  it  is,  my  friend,  I  take  on  myself,  in  his  maj- 
esty's name,  to  bid  you  welcome." 

"  Such  munificent  condescension  would  open  my  whole 
heart,  though  treason,  and  all  other  unrighteousness,  were 
locked  up  in  it.  I  am  happy,  honored,  and  I  doubt  not, 
honorable  sir,  to  have  this  opportunity  of  proving  my  zeal 
to  the  king,  before  one  who  will  not  fail  to  report  my  hum- 
ble efforts  to  his  royal  ears." 

"  Speak  freely,"  interrupted  the  stranger  in  green,  with 
an  air  of  princely  condescension;  though  one,  less  simple 


4O  THE    RED    ROVER. 

and  less  occupied  with  his  own  budding  honors  than  the 
tailor,  might  have  easily  discovered  that  he  began  to  grow 
weary  of  the  other's  prolix  loyalty.  "  Speak  without  reserve, 
friend ;  it  is  what  we  always  do  at  court."  Then,  switching 
his  boot  with  his  riding-whip,  he  muttered  to  himself  as  he 
swung  his  light  frame  on  his  heel,  with  an  indolent,  in- 
different air,  "  If  the  fellow  swallows  that,  he  is  as  heavy  as 
his  own  goose!" 

"  I  shall,  sir,  I  shall ;  and  a  great  proof  of^  charity  is  it 
in  one  like  your  noble  self  to  listen.  You  see  yonder  tall 
ship,  sir,  in  the  outer  harbor  of  this  loyal  seaport?" 

"I  do;  she  seems  to  be  an  object  of  general  attention 
among  the  worthy  lieges  of  the  place." 

"  Therein  I  conceive,  sir,  you  have  over-rated  the  sagacity 
.of  my  townsmen.  She  has  been  lying  where  you  now  see 
her  for  many  days,  and  not  a  syllable  have  I  heard  whis- 
pered against  her  character,  from  mortal  man,  except 
myself." 

"  Indeed !"  muttered  the  stranger,  biting  the  handle  of  his 
whip,  and  fastening  his  glittering  eyes  intently  on  the 
features  of  the  good-man,  which  were  literally  swelling 
with  the  importance  of  his  discovery;  " and  what  may  be 
the  nature  of  your  suspicions?" 

"  Why,  sir,  I  may  be  wrong — and  God  forgive  me  if  I  am 
— but  this  is  no  more  nor  less  than  what  has  arisen  in  my 
mind  on  the  subject.  Yonder  ship,  and  her  crew,  bear  the 
reputation  of  being  innocent  and  harmless  slavers,  among 
the  good  people  of  Newport;  and  as  such  are  they  received 
and  welcomed  in  the  place;  the  one  to  a  safe  and  easy  an- 
chorage, and  the  others  among  the  taverns  and  shop-dealers. 
I  would  not  have  you  imagine  that  a  single  garment  has 
ever  gone  from  my  fingers  for  one  of  all  her  crew ;  no,  let  it 
be  forever  remembered  that  the  whole  of  their  dealings 
have  been  with  the  young  tradesman  named  Tape,  who  en- 
tices customers  to  barter  by  backbiting  and  otherwise  defil- 
ing the  fair  names  of  his  betters  in  the  business;  not  a  gar- 


THE   RED    ROVER.  41 

ment  has  been  made  by  my  hands  for  even  the  smallest 
boy." 

"  You  are  lucky,"  returned  the  stranger  in  green,  "  in 
"being  so  well  quit  of  the  knaves;  and  yet  have  you  for- 
gotten to  name  the  particular  offence  with  which  I  am  to 
charge  them  before  the  face  of  the  king." 

"  I  am  coming  as  fast  as  possible  to  the  weighty  matter. 
You  must  know,  worthy  and  commendable  sir,  that  I  am  a 
man  that  has  seen  much,  and  suffered  much,  in  his  majesty's 
service.  Five  bloody  and  cruel  wars  have  I  gone  through, 
besides  other  adventures  and  experiences,  such  as  become 
a  humble  subject  to  suffer  meekly  and  in  silence." 

"All  of  which  shall  be  directly  communicated  to  the 
royal  ear.  And  now,  worthy  friend,  relieve  your  mind  by  a 
frank  communication  of  your  suspicions." 

"Thanks,  honorable  sir;  your  goodness  in  my  behalf 
cannot  be  forgotten,  though  it  shall  never  be  said  that  impa- 
tience to  seek  the  relief  you  mention  hurried  me  into  a 
light  and  improper  manner  of  unburthening  my  mind.  You 
must  know,  honored  gentleman,  that  yesterday,  as  I  sat 
alone,  at  this  very  hour,  on  my  board,  reflecting  in  my 
thoughts — for  the  plain  reason  that  my  envious  neighbour 
had  enticed  all  the  newly-arrived  customers  to  his  own 
shop — well,  sir,  the  head  will  be  busy  when  the  hands  are 
idle;  there  I  sat,  as  I  have  briefly  told  you,  reflecting  in 
my  thoughts,  like  any  other  accountable  being,  on  the 
calamities  of  life,  and  on  the  great  experiences  that  I  have 
had  in  the  wars :  for  you  must  know,  valiant  gentleman, 
besides  the  affair  in  the  land  of  the  Medes  and  Persians, 
and  the  Porteous  mob  in  Edinbro',  five  cruel  and  bloody " 

"  There  is  that  in  your  air  which  sufficiently  proclaims 
the  soldier,"  interrupted  his  listener,  who  struggled  to  keep 
down  his  rising  impatience;  "but  as  my  time  is  so  precious, 
I  would  now  more  especially  hear  what  you  have  to  say 
concerning  yonder  ship." 

"Yes,  sir,  one  gets  a  military  look  after   seeing   number- 


42  THE   RED   ROVER. 

less  wars;  and  so,  happily  for  the  need  of  both,  I  have  now 
come  to  the  part  of  my  secret  which  touches  more  particu- 
larly on  the  character  of  that  vessel.  There  sat  I,  reflecting 
on  the  manner  in  which  the  strange  seamen  had  been 
deluded  by  my  tonguey  neighbour — for,  as  you  should  know, 
sir,  a  desperate  talker  is  that  Tape,  and  a  younker  who  has 
seen  but  one  war  at  the  utmost — therefore,  was  I  thinking 
of  the  manner  in  which  he  had  enticed  my  lawful  customers 
from  my  shop,  when,  as  one  thought  is  the  father  of  another, 
the  following  concluding  reasoning,  as  our  pious  priest  has 
it  weekly  in  his  reviving  and  searching  discourses,  came 
uppermost  in  my  mind :  if  these  mariners  were  honest  and 
conscientious  slavers,  would  they  overlook  a  laboring  man 
with  a  large  family,  to  pour  their  well-earned  gold  into  the 
lap  of  a  common  babbler?  I  proclaimed  to  myself  at  once, 
sir,  that  they  would  not.  I  was  bold  to  say  the  same  in  my 
own  mind;  and,  thereupon,  I  openly  put  the  question  to  all 
in  hearing,  if  they  are  not  slavers,  what  are  they?  A  ques- 
tion which  the  king  himself  would,  in  his  royal  wisdom, 
allow  to  be  a  question  easier  asked  than  answered;  upon 
which  I  replied,  if  the  vessel  be  no  fair-trading  slaver,  nor 
a  common  cruiser  of  his  majesty,  it  is  as  tangible  as  the 
best  man's  reasoning  that  she  may  be  neither  more  nor  less 
than  the  ship  of  that  nefarious  pirate  the  Red  Rover." 

"The  Red  Rover!"  exclaimed  the  stranger  in  green,  with 
a  start  so  natural  as  to  evidence  that  his  dying  interest  in 
the  tailor's  narrative  was  suddenly  and  powerfully  revived. 
"That,  indeed,  would  be  a  secret  worth  having! — but  why 
do  you  suppose  this?" 

"  For  sundry  reasons,  which  I  am  now  about  to  name  in 
their  respective  order.  In  the  first  place,  she  is  an  armed 
ship,  sir.  In  the  second,  she  is  no  lawful  cruiser,  or  the 
same  would  be  publicly  known,  and  by  no  one  sooner  than 
myself,  inasmuch  as  it  is  seldom  that  I  do  not  finger  a 
penny  from  the  king's  ships.  In  the  third  place,  the  bur- 
glarious and  unfeeling  conduct  of  the  few  seamen  who  have 


THE   RED    ROVER.  43 

landed  from  her,  go  to  prove  it ;  and  lastly,  what  is  well 
proved  may  be  considered  as  substantially  established. 
These  are  what,  sir,  I  should  call  the  opening  premises  of 
my  inferences,  all  of  which  I  hope  you  will  properly  lay 
before  the  royal  mind  of  his  majesty." 

The  barrister  in  green  listened  to  the  somewhat  wire- 
drawn deductions  of  Homespun  with  great  attention,  not- 
withstanding the  confused  and  obscure  manner  in  which 
they  were  delivered  by  the  aspiring  tradesman.  His  keen 
eye  rolled  quickly  and  often,  from  the  vessel  to  the  counte- 
nance of  his  companion;  but  several  moments  elapsed 
before  he  saw  fit  to  make  any  reply.  The  reckless  gaiety 
with  which  he  had  introduced  himself,  and  which  he  had 
hitherto  maintained  in  the  discourse,  was  entirely  super- 
seded by  a  musing  and  abstracted  air,  which  sufficiently 
proved  that,  whatever  levity  he  might  betray  in  common,  he 
was  far  from  being  a  stranger  on  proper  occasions  to  deep 
and  becoming  thought.  Suddenly  throwing  off  his  air  of 
gravity,  however,  he  assumed  one  in  which  irony  and 
sincerity  were  singularly  blended,  and  laying  his  hand 
familiarly  on  the  shoulder  of  the  expecting  tailor,  he  re- 
plied: 

"You  have  communicated  such  matter  as  becometh  a 
faithful  and  loyal  servant  of  the  king.  It  is  well  known 
that  a  heavy  price  is  set  on  the  head  of  the  meanest  follower 
of  the  Rover;  and  that  a  rich,  ay,  a  splendid  reward  will  be 
the  fortune  of  him  who  is  the  instrument  of  delivering  the 
whole  knot  of  miscreants  into  the  hands  of  the  executioner. 
Indeed,  I  know  not  but  some  marked  evidence  of  the  royal 
pleasure  might  follow  such  a  service.  There  was  Phipps, 
a  man  of  humble  origin,  who  received  knighthood " 

"  Knighthood,"  echoed  the  tailor,  in  awful  admiration. 

"Knighthood,"  coolly  repeated  the  stranger;  "honorable 
and  chivalric  knighthood.  What  may  have  been  the  appella- 
tion you  received  from  your  sponsors  in  baptism?" 

"  My  given  name,  gracious  and  grateful  sir,  is  Hector." 


44  THE    RED    ROVER. 

"And  the  house  itself? — the  distinctive  appellation  of  the 
family?" 

"We  have  always  been  called  Homespun." 

"Sir  Hector  Homespun  will  sound  as  well  as  another! 
But  to  secure  these  rewards,  my  friend,  it  is  necessary  to 
be  discreet.  I  admire  your  ingenuity,  and  am  a  perfect  con- 
vert to  your  logic.  You  have  so  entirely  demonstrated  the 
truth  of  your  own  suspicions,  that  I  have  no  more  doubt  of 
yonder  vessel  being  the  pirate,  than  I  have  of  your  wearing 
spurs,  and  being  called  Sir  Hector.  The  two  things  are 
equally  established  in  my  mind;  but  it  is  needful  that  we 
proceed  in  the  matter  with  caution.  I  understand  you  to 
say  that  no  one  else  has  been  enlightened  by  your  erudition 
in  this  affair?" 

"  Not  a  soul.  Tape  would  swear  that  the  crew  were  con- 
scientious slavers." 

"  So  best.  We  must  first  render  conclusions  certain ; 
then  to  our  reward.  Meet  me  at  the  hour  of  eleven  this 
night,  at  yonder  low  point,  where  the  land  juts  into  the  outer 
harbour.  From  that  stand  will  we  make  our  observations ; 
and  having  removed  every  doubt,  let  the  morning  produce  a 
discovery  that  shall  ring  from  the  Colony  of  the  Bay  to  the 
settlements  of  Oglethorpe.  Until  then  we  part;  for  it  is  not 
wise  that  we  be  longer  seen  in  conference.  Remember 
silence,  punctuality,  and  the  favor  of  the  king.  These  are 
our  watchwords." 

"Adieu,  honorable  gentleman,"  said  his  companion, 
making  a  reverence  nearly  to  the  earth,  as  the  other  slightly 
touched  his  hat  in  passing. 

"Adieu,  Sir  Hector,"  returned  the  stranger  in  green,  with 
an  affable  smile,  and  a  gracious  wave  of  the  hand.  He 
then  walked  slowly  up  the  wharf,  and  disappeared  behind 
the  mansion  of  the  Homespuns,  leaving  the  head  of  that 
ancient  family,  like  many  a  predecessor  and  many  a  suc- 
cessor, so  rapt  in  the  admiration  of  his  own  good  fortune, 
and  so  blinded  by  his  folly,  that,  while  physically  he  saw 


THE    RED    ROVER.  45 

to   the   right   and   to  the   left  as  well  as  ever,  his  mental 
vision  was  completely  obscured  in  the  clouds  of  ambition. 


CHAPTER  III. 

ALONZO.— Good  boatswain,  have  care. 

Tempest. 

THE  instant  the  stranger  had  separated  from  the  credulous 
tailor,  he  lost  his  assumed  air  in  one  more  natural  and 
sedate.  Still  it  would  seem  that  thought  was  an  unwonted 
or  an  unwelcome  tenant  of  his  mind,  for,  switching  his 
boot  with  his  little  riding-whip,  he  entered  the  principal 
street  of  the  place  with  a  light  step  and  a  wandering  eye. 
Though  his  look  was  unsettled,  few  of  the  individuals  whom 
he  passed  escaped  his  quick  glances;  and  it  was  quite 
apparent,  from  the  hurried  manner  in  which  he  began  to 
regard  objects,  that  his  mind  was  not  less  active  than  his 
body.  A  stranger  thus  accoutred,  and  one  bearing  about 
his  person  so  many  evidences  of  his  recent  acquaintance 
with  the  road,  did  not  fail  to  attract  the  attention  of  the 
provident  publicans  we  have  had  occasion  to  mention  in 
our  opening  chapter.  Declining  the  civilities  of  the  most 
favored  of  the  innkeepers,  he  suffered  his  steps  to  be  oddly 
enough  arrested  by  the  one  whose  house  was  the  usual 
haunt  of  the  hangers-on  of  the  port. 

On  entering  the  bar-room  of  this  tavern,  as  it  was  called, 
but  which  in  another  country  would  probably  have  aspired 
to  be  termed  no  more  than  a  pot-house,  he  found  the  hospi- 
table apartment  thronged  with  its  customary  revellers.  A 
slight  interruption  was  produced  by  the  appearance  of  a 
guest  who  was  altogether  superior  in  mien  and  attire  to  the 
ordinary  customers  of  the  house,  but  it  ceased  the  moment 
the  stranger  had  thrown  himself  on  a  bench,  and  intimated 
to  the  host  the  nature  of  his  wants.  As  the  latter  furnished 


46  THE    RED    ROVER. 

the  required  draught,  he  made  a  sort  of  apology,  which  was 
intended  for  the  ears  of  all  his  customers  nigh  the  stranger, 
for  the  manner  in  which  an  individual,  in  the  farther  end  of 
the  long  narrow  room,  not  only  monopolized  the  discourse, 
but  appeared  to  extort  the  attention  of  all  within  hearing  to 
some  portentous  legend  he  was  recounting. 

"  It  is  the  boatswain  of  the  slaver  in  the  outer  harbor, 
squire,"  the  worthy  minister  of  Bacchus  concluded;  "  a  man 
who  has  followed  the  water  many  a  day,  and  who  has  seen 
sights  and  prodigies  enough  to  fill  a  smart  volume.  Old 
Bor'us  the  people  call  him,  though  his  lawful  name  is  Jack 
Nightingale.  Is  the  toddy  to  the  squire's  relish?" 

The  stranger  assented  to  the  latter  query  by  smacking 
his  lips  and  bowing,  as  he  put  down  the  nearly  untouched 
draught.  He  then  turned  his  head  to  examine  the  indi- 
vidual who  might,  by  the  manner  in  which  he  declaimed, 
have  been  termed,  in  the  language  of  the  country,  another 
"  orator  of  the  day." 

A  stature  which  greatly  exceeded  six  feet,  enormous 
whiskers,  that  quite  concealed  a  moiety  of  his  grim  counte- 
nance; a  scar,  which  was  the  memorial  of  a  badly-healed 
gash,  that  had  once  threatened  to  divide  that  moiety  in 
quarters;  limbs  in  proportion;  the  whole  rendered  striking 
by  the  dress  of  a  seaman ;  a  long,  tarnished  silver  chain,  and 
a  little  whistle  of  the  same  metal,  served  to  render  the  indi- 
vidual in  question  sufficiently  remarkable.  Without  appear- 
ing to  be  in  the  smallest  degree  aware  of  the  entrance  of 
one,  altogether  so  superior  to  the  class  of  his  usual  auditors, 
this  son  of  the  ocean  continued  his  narrative  as  follows,  and 
in  a  voice  that  seemed  given  to  him  by  nature  in  very 
mockery  of  his  musical  name;  indeed,  so  very  near  did  his 
tones  approach  to  the  low  murmurings  of  a  bull,  that  some 
little  practice  was  necessary  to  accustom  the  ear  to  the 
strangely-uttered  words. 

"  Well,"  he  continued,  thrusting  his  brawny  arm  forth, 
with  the  fist  clenched,  indicating  the  necessary  point  of  the 


THE    RED    ROVER.  47 

compass  by  the  thumb :  "  the  coast  of  Guinea  might  have 
lain  hereaway,  and  the  wind,  you  see,  was  dead  off  shore, 
blowing  in  squalls,  as  a  cat  spits,  all  the  same  as  if  the  old 
fellow  who  keeps  it  bagged  for  the  use  of  us  seamen,  some- 
times let  the  stopper  slip  through  his  fingers,  and  was  some- 
times fetching  it  up  again  with  a  double  turn  round  the  end 
of  his  sack. — You  know  what  a  sack  is,  brother?" 

This  abrupt  question  was  put  to  the  gaping  bumpkin 
already  known  to  the  reader,  who,  with  the  nether  garment 
just  received  from  the  tailor  under  his  arm,  had  lingered  to 
add  the  incidents  of  the  present  legend  to  the  stock  of  lore 
that  he  had  already  obtained  for  the  ears  of  his  kinsfolk  in 
the  country.  A  general  laugh  at  the  expense  of  the  admir- 
ing Pardon  succeeded.  Nightingale  bestowed  a 'knowing 
wink  on  one  or  two  familiars,  and  profiting  by  the  occasion 
"to  freshen  his  nip,"  as  he  quaintly  styled  swallowing  a 
pint  of  rum  and  water,  he  continued  his  narrative,  by  saying 
in  a  sort  of  admonitory  tone: 

"  And  the  time  may  come  when  you  will  know  what  a 
round-turn  is,  too,  if  you  let  go  your  hold  of  honesty.  A 
man's  neck  was  made  brother,  to  keep  his  head  above  water, 
and  not  to  be  stretched  out  of  shape  like  a  pair  of  badly 
fitted  dead-eyes.  Therefore,  have  your  reckoning  worked 
up  in  season,  and  the  head  of  conscience  going,  when  you 
find  yourself  drifting  on  the  shoals  of  temptation."  Then 
rolling  his  tobacco  in  his  mouth,  he  looked  boldly  about 
him,  like  one  who  had  acquitted  himself  of  a  moral  obliga- 
tion, and  continued:  "Well,  there  lay  the  land,  and,  as  I 
was  saying,  the  wind  was  here,  at  east-and-by-south,  or 
mayhap  at  east-and-by-south-half -south,  sometimes  blowing 
like  a  fin-back  in  a  flurry,  and  sometimes  leaving  all  the 
canvas  chafing  ag'in  the  rigging  and  spars,  as  if  a  bolt  of 
duck  cost  no  more  than  a  rich  man's  blessing.  I  didn't 
like  the  looks  of  the  weather,  seeing  that  there  was  alto- 
gether too  much  unsartainty  for  a  quiet  watch,  so  I  walked 
aft,  in  order  to  put  myself  in  the  way  of  giving  an  opinion. 


48  THE    RED    ROVER. 

if-so-be  such  a  thing  should  be  asked.  You  must  know, 
brothers,  that,  according  to  my  notions  of  religion  and  be- 
havior, a  man  is  not  good  for  much  unless  he  has  a  full 
share  of  manners ;  therefore  I  am  never  known  to  put  my 
spoon  in  the  captain's  mess  unless  I  am  invited,  for  the 
plain  reason  that  my  berth  is  for'ard  and  his'n  aft.  I  do 
not  say  in  which  end  of  a  ship  the  better  man  is  to  be 
found;  that  is  a  matter  concerning  which  there  are  different 
opinions,  though  most  good  judges  in  the  business  are 
agreed.  But  aft  I  walked,  to  put  myself  in  the  way  of  giv- 
ing an  opinion,  if  one  should  be  asked;  nor  was  it  long 
before  the  thing  came  to  pass  just  as  I  had  foreseen.  'Mr. 
Nightingale/  says  he;  for  our  captain  is  a  gentleman,  and 
never  forgets  his  behavior  on  deck,  or  when  any  of  the 
ship's  company  are  at  hand;  ''Mister  Nightingale,'  says  he, 
'what  do  you  think  of  that  rag  of  a  cloud,  hereaway  at  the 
northwest?'  says  he.  *Why,  sir,'  says  I,  boldly,  for  I  am 
never  backward  in  speaking  when  properly  spoken  to —  so, 
'why,  sir,'  says  I,  'saving  your  honor's  better  judgment,' — 
which  was  all  a  flam,  for  he  was  but  a  chicken  to  me  in 
years  and  experience;  but  then  I  never  throw  hot  ashes  to 
windward,  or  anything  else  that  is  warm — so,  'sir/  says  I, 
'it  is  my  advice  to  hand  the  three  topsails  and  to  stow  the 
jib.  We  are  in  no  hurry;  for  the  plain  reason,  that  Guinea 
will  be  to-morrow  just  where  Guinea  is  to-night.  As  for 
keeping  the  ship  steady  in  these  matters  of  squalls,  we  have 
the  mainsail  on  her ' " 

11  You  should  have  furl'd  your  mainsail  too,"  exclaimed  a 
voice  from  behind,  that  was  quite  as  dogmatical,  though  a 
little  less  grum  than  that  of  the  loquacious  boatswain. 

"What  know-nothing  says  that?"  demanded  Nightingale, 
fiercely,  all  his  latent  ire  being  excited  by  so  rude  and 
daring  an  interruption. 

"  A  man  who  has  run  Africa  down,  from  Bon  to  Good 
Hope,  more  than  once,  and  who  knows  a  white  squall  from 
a  rainbow,"  returned  Dick  Fid,  edging  his  short  person 


THE    RED    ROVER.  49 

stoutly  towards  his  furious  adversary,  and  making  his  way 
through  the  crowd  by  which  the  important  boatswain  was 
environed  by  dint  of  his  massive  shoulders.  "  Ay,  brother, 
and  a  man,  know-much  or  know-nothing,  who  would  never 
advise  his  officer  to  keep  so  much  after-sail  on  a  ship,  when 
there  was  the  likelihood  of  the  wind  taking  her  aback." 

To  this  bold  vindication  of  an  opinion  which  all  present 
deemed  to  be  so  audacious,  there  succeeded  a  general  and 
loud  murmur.  Encouraged  by  this  evidence  of  his  popu- 
larity, Nightingale  was  not  slow,  nor  very  meek  with  his 
retort ;  and  then  followed  a  clamorous  concert,  in  which  the 
voices  of  the  company  in  general  served  for  the  higher  and 
shriller  notes,  and  through  which  the  bold  and  vigorous 
assertions,  contradictions,  and  opinions  of  the  two  principal 
disputants  were  heard  running  in  a  sort  of  thorough-bass. 

For  some  time  no  part  of  the  discussion  was  very  dis- 
tinct, so  great  was  the  confusion  of  tongues ;  and  there  were 
certain  symptoms  of  an  intention,  on  the  part  of  Fid  and 
the  boatswain,  to  settle  their  controversy  by  the  last  appeal. 
During  this  moment  of  suspense,  the  former  squared  his 
firm-built  frame  in  front  of  his  gigantic  opponent,  and  there 
were  very  vehement  passings  and  counterpassings,  in  the 
way  of  gestures  from  four  athletic  arms,  each  of  which  was 
knobbed,  like  a  fashionable  rattan,  with  a  lump  of  bones, 
knuckles,  and  sinews,  that  threatened  annihilation  to  any- 
thing that  should  oppose  it.  As  the  general  clamor,  how- 
ever, gradually  abated,  the  chief  reasoners  began  to  be 
heard;  and,  as  if  content  to  rely  on  their  respective  powers 
of  eloquence,  each  gradually  relinquished  his  hostile  atti- 
tude, and  appeared  disposed  to  maintain  his  ground  by  a 
member  scarcely  less  terrible  than  his  brawny  arm. 

"You  are  a  bold  seaman,  brother,"  said  Nightingale, 
resuming  his  seat,  "  and,  if  saying  was  doing,  no  doubt  you 
would  make  a  ship  talk.  But  I,  who  have  seen  fleets  of  two 
and  three  deckers — and  that  of  all  nations,  except  your 
Mohawks,  mayhap,  whose  cruisers  I  will  confess  never  to 
4 


5O  THE    RED    ROVER. 

have  fallen  in  with — lying  as  snug  as  so  many  white  gulls, 
under  reefed  mainsails,  know  how  to  take  the  strain  off  a 
ship,  and  to  keep  my  bulkheads  in  their  places." 

"  I  deny  the  judgment  of  heaving-to  a  boat  under  her 
after  square-sails,"  retorted  Dick.  "Give  her  the  stay- 
sails, if  you  will,  and  no  harm  done;  but  a  true  seaman  will 
never  get  a  bagful  of  wind  between  his  mainmast  and  his 
lee-swifter,  if  so-be  he  knows  his  business.  But  words  are 
like  thunder,  which  only  rumbles  aloft  without  ever  strik- 
ing, as  I  have  yet  seen ;  let  us  therefore  put  the  question  to 
some  one  who  has  been  on  the  water,  and  who  knows  a 
little  of  life  and  ships  as  well  as  ourselves." 

"  If  the  oldest  admiral  in  his  majesty's  fleet  was  here,  he 
wouldn't  be  backward  in  saying  who  is  right  and  who  is 
wrong.  I  say,  brothers,  if  there  is  a  man  among  you  all 
who  has  had  the  advantage  of  a  sea  education,  let  him 
speak,  in  order  that  the  truth  of  this  matter  may  not  be  hid 
like  a  marlingspike  jammed  between  a  brace-block  and  a 
yard." 

"Here,  then,  is  the  man,"  returned  Fid;  and,  stretching 
out  his  arm,  he  seized  Scipio  by  the  collar,  and  drew  him 
without  ceremony  into  the  centre  of  the  circle  that  had 
opened  around  the  two  disputants.  "  There  is  a  man  for 
you,  who  has  made  one  more  voyage  between  this  and 
Africa  than  myself,  for  the  reason  that  he  was  born  there. 
Now,  answer  as  if  you  were  hallooing  from  a  lee-earing, 
S'ip:  under  what  sail  would  you  heave  to  a  ship  on  the 
coast  of  your  native  country,  with  the  danger  of  a  white- 
squall  at  hand?" 

*'  I  no  heave  'em  to,"  said  the  black,  "  I  make  'em  scud." 

"Ay,  boy;  but  to  be  in  readiness  for  the  puff,  would  you 
jam  her  up  under  a  mainsail,  or  let  her  lie  a  little  off  under 
a  fore-course?" 

"  Any  fool  know  dat,"  returned  Scipio,  grumly,  and  evi- 
dently tired  already  of  being  thus  catechized.  "  If  you 
want  'em  to  fall  pff,  how  you'm  expect,  in  reason,  he  do 


THE    RED    ROVER.  $1 

it  under  a  main  course?  You  answer  me  dat,  Misser 
Dick." 

"  Gentlemen, "  said  Nightingale,  looking  about  him  with 
an  air  of  offended  dignity,  "  I  put  it  to  your  honors,  is 
it  genteel  behavior  to  bring  a  nigger,  in  this  out-of-the- 
way  fashion,  to  give  an  opinion  in  the  teeth  of  a  white 
man?" 

This  appeal  to  the  prejudices  of  the  company  was  an- 
swered by  a  common  murmur.  Scipio,  who  was  prepared  to 
maintain,  and  would  have  maintained  his  professional 
opinion,  after  his  positive  and  peculiar  manner,  against  any 
disputant,  had  not  the  heart  to  resist  so  general  an  evi- 
dence of  the  impropriety  of  his  presence.  Without  utter- 
ing a  word  in  vindication  or  apology,  he  folded  his  arms 
and  walked  out  of  the  house,  with  the  submission  and  meek- 
ness of  one  who  had  been  too  long  trained  in  humility  to 
rebel.  This  desertion  on  the  part  of  his  companion  was 
not,  however,  so  quietly  acquiesced  in  by  Fid,  who  found 
himself  thus  unexpectedly  deprived  of  the  testimony  of  the 
black.  He  loudly  remonstrated  against  his  retreat;  but 
finding  it  in  vain,  he  crammed  the  end  of  several  inches  of 
tobacco  into  his  mouth,  swearing,  as  he  followed  the  African, 
and  keeping  his  eye  at  the  same  time  firmly  fastened  on  his 
adversary,  that  in  his  opinion,  "  the  lad,  if  he  was  fairly 
skinned,  would  be  found  to  be  the  whiter  man  of  the 
two." 

The  triumph  of  the  boatswain  was  now  complete ;  nor  was 
he  at  all  sparing  of  his  exultation. 

"  Gentlemen/'  he  said,  addressing  himself,  with  increased 
confidence,  to  the  motley  audience  who  surrounded  him, "  you 
see  that  reason  is  like  a  ship  bearing  down  with  studding- 
sails  on  both  sides,  leaving  a  straight  wake  and  no  favors. 
Now,  I  scorn  boasting,  nor  do  I  know  who  the  fellow  is 
that  has  just  sheered  off  in  time  to  save  his  character;  but 
this  I  will  say,  that  the  man  is  not  to  be  found,  between 
Boston  and  the  West  Indies,  who  knows  better  than  myself 


52  THE    RED    ROVER. 

how  to  make  a  ship  walk,  or  how  to  make  her  stand  still, 
provided  I " 

The  deep  voice  of  Nightingale  became  suddenly  hushed, 
and  his  eye  was  riveted,  by  a  sort  of  enchantment,  on  the 
keen  glance  of  the  stranger  in  green,  whose  countenance 
was  now  seen  blended  among  the  more  vulgar  faces  of  the 
crowd. 

"Mayhap,"  continued  the  boatswain,  swallowing  his 
words,  in  the  surprise  of  seeing  himself  unexpectedly  con- 
fronted by  so  imposing  an  eye, — "  mayhap  this  gentleman 
has  some  knowledge  of  the  sea,  and  can  decide  the  matter 
in  dispute." 

"We  do  not  study  naval  tactics  at  the  universities," 
returned  the  other,  briskly;  "though  I  will  confess,  from 
the  little  I  have  heard,  I  am  altogether  in  favor  of 
scudding" 

He  pronounced  the  latter  word  with  an  emphasis  which 
rendered  it  questionable  if  he  did  not  mean  to  pun ;  the 
more  especially  as  he  threw  down  his  reckoning,  and  in- 
stantly left  the  field  to  the  quiet  possession  of  Nightingale. 
The  latter,  after  a  short  pause,  resumed  his  narrative,  though, 
either  from  weariness  or  some  other  cause,  it  was  observed 
that  his  voice  was  far  less  positive  than  before,  and  that  his 
tale  was  cut  prematurely  short.  After  completing  his  nar- 
rative and  his  grog,  he  staggered  to  the  beach,  whither  a 
boat  was  shortly  after  despatched  to  convey  him  on  board 
the  ship,  which,  during  all  this  time,  had  not  ceased  to  be 
the  constant  subject  of  the  suspicious  examination  of  the 
good-man  Homespun. 

In  the  mean  while,  the  stranger  in  green  had  pursued  his 
walk  along  the  main  street  of  the  town.  Fid  had  given 
chase  to  the  disconcerted  Scipio,  grumbling  as  he  went,  and 
uttering  no  very  delicate  remarks  on  the  knowledge  and 
seamanship  of  the  boatswain.  They  soon  joined  company 
again,  the  former  changing  his  attack  to  the  negro,  whom  he 
liberally  abused  for  abandoning  a  point  which  he  main- 


THE    RED    ROVER.  53 

tained  was  as  simple  and  as  true  as  "  that  yonder  bit  of  a 
schooner  would  make  more  way,  going  wing-and-wing,  than 
jammed  up  on  a  wind." 

Probably  diverted  with  the  touches  of  peculiar  character 
he  had  detected  in  this  singular  pair  of  confederates,  or  pos- 
sibly led  by  his  own  wayward  humor,  the  stranger  followed 
their  footsteps.  After  turning  from  the  water,  they  mounted 
a  hill,  the  latter  a  little  in  the  rear  of  his  pilots,  until  he  lost 
sight  of  them  in  a  bend  of  the  street,  or  rather  road ;  for,  by 
this  time,  they  were  past  even  the  little  suburbs  of  the  town. 
Quickening  his  steps,  the  barrister,  as  he  had  announced 
himself  to  be,  was  glad  to  catch  a  glimpse  of  the  two  wor- 
thies seated  under  a  fence,  several  minutes  after  he  had  be- 
lieved them  lost.  They  were  making  a  frugal  meal  from 
the  contents  of  a  little  bag,  which  the  white  had  borne  under 
his  arm,  portions  from  which  he  now  dispensed  liberally  to 
his  companion,  who  had  taken  his  post  sufficiently  nigh  to 
proclaim  that  perfect  amity  was  restored,  though  still  a  little 
in  the  background,  in  deference  to  the  superior  condition 
which  the  other  enjoyed  in  favor  of  his  color.  Approach- 
ing the  spot,  the  stranger  observed : 

"  If  you  make  so  free  with  the  bag,  my  lads,  your  third 
man  may  have  to  go  supperless  to  bed." 

"  Who  hails?"  said  Dick,  looking  up  from  his  bone,  with 
an  expression  much  like  that  of  a  mastiff  when  engaged  at 
a  similar  employment. 

"  I  merely  wished  to  remind  you  that  you  had  another 
messmate,"  cavalierly  returned  the  other. 

"  Will  you  take  a  cut,  brother?"  said  the  seaman,  offering 
the  bag  with  the  liberality  of  a  sailor,  the  moment  he  fan- 
cied there  was  an  indirect  demand  made  on  its  contents. 

"You  still  mistake  my  meaning;  on  the  wharf  you  had 
another  companion." 

"  Ay,  ay;  he  is  in  the  offing  there,  overhauling  that  bit  of 
a  light-house,  which  is  badly  enough  moored,  unless  they 
mean  it  to  show  the  channel  to  your  ox-teams  and  inland 


54  THE   RED    ROVER. 

traders;  hereaway,  gentleman,  where  you  see  that  pile  of 
stones,  which  seems  likely  to  be  coming  down  shortly  by- 
the-run." 

The  stranger  looked  in  the  direction  indicated  by  the 
other,  and  saw  the  younger  mariner  to  whom  he  had  alluded, 
standing  at  the  foot  of  a  ruined  tower,  which  was  crumbling 
under  the  slow  operations  of  time,  at  no  great  distance  from 
the  place  where  he  stood.  Throwing  a  handful  of  small 
change  to  the  seamen,  he  wished  them  a  better  meal,  and 
crossed  the  fence,  with  an  apparent  intention  of  examining 
the  ruin  also. 

"  The  lad  is  free  with  his  coppers,"  said  Dick,  suspending 
the  movements  of  his  teeth,  to  give  the  stranger  another  and 
a  better  look;  "but,  as  they  will  not  grow  where  he  has 
planted  them,  S'ip,  you  may  turn  them  over  to  my  pocket. 
An  off-handed  and  a  free-handed  chap  that,  Africa;  but 
then  these  law-dealers  get  all  their  pence  from  the  devil,  and 
they  are  sure  of  more  when  the  shot  begins  to  run  low  in  the 
locker." 

Leaving  the  negro  to  collect  the  money,  and  to  transfer  it, 
as  in  duty  bound,  to  the  hands  of  him  who,  if  not  his  mas- 
ter, was  at  all  times  ready  and  willing  to  exercise  the  author- 
ity of  one,  we  shall  follow  the  stranger  in  his  walk  towards 
the  tottering  edifice.  There  was  little  about  the  ruin  itself 
to  attract  the  attention  of  one  who,  from  his  assertions,  had 
probably  often  enjoyed  the  opportunities  of  examining  far 
more  imposing  remains  of  former  ages,  on  the  other  side  of 
the  Atlantic.  It  was  a  small  circular  tower,  which  stood  on 
rude  pillars,  connected  by  arches,  and  might  have  been  con- 
structed, in  the  infancy  of  the  country,  as  a  place  of  defence, 
though  it  is  far  more  probable  that  it  was  a  work  of  a  less 
warlike  nature.  More  than  half  a  century  after  the  period 
of  which  we  are  writing,  this  little  edifice,  peculiar  in  its 
form,  its  ruinous  condition,  and  its  materials,  has  suddenly 
become  the  study  and  the  theme  of  that  very  learned  sort  of 
individual,  the  American  antiquarian.  It  is  not  surprising 


THE    RED    ROVER.  55 

that  a  ruin  thus  honored  should  have  become  the  object  of 
divers  hot  and  erudite  discussions.  While  the  chivalrous 
in  the  arts  and  in  the  antiquities  of  the  country  have  been 
gallantly  breaking  their  lances  around  the  mouldering  walls, 
the  less  instructed  and  the  less  zealous  have  regarded  the 
combatants  with  the  same  species  of  wonder  as  they  would 
have  manifested  had  they  been  present  when  the  renowned 
knight  of  La  Mancha  tilted  against  those  other  windmills, 
so  ingeniously  described  by  the  immortal  Cervantes. 

On  reaching  the  place,  the  stranger  in  green  gave  his  boot 
a  smart  blow  with  the  riding-whip,  as  if  to  attract  the  atten- 
tion of  the  abstracted  young  sailor,  freely  commencing  a 
conversation  at  the  same  time,  like  one  who  was  a  regular 
companion,  rather  than  an  intruder  on  the  other's  time. 

"A  very  pretty  object  this  would  be,  if  covered  with  ivy, 
to  be  seen  peeping  through  an  opening  in  a  wood/7  he  said. 
"But  I  beg  pardon;  gentlemen  of  your  profession  have  little 
to  do  with  woods  and  crumbling  stones.  Yonder  is  the 
tower,"  pointing  to  the  masts  of  the  ship  in  the  outer  har- 
bor, "you  love  to  look  on;  and  your  only  ruin  is  a 
wreck!" 

"  You  seem  familiar  with  our  tastes,  sir,"  coldly  returned 
the  seaman. 

"  It  is  by  instinct,  then ;  for  it  is  certain  I  have  had  but 
little  opportunity  of  acquiring  my  knowledge  by  actual  com- 
munion with  any  of  the — cloth;  nor  do  I  perceive  that  I  am 
likely  to  be  more  fortunate  at  present.  Let  us  be  frank,  my 
friend,  and  talk  in  amity.  What  do  you  see  about  this  pile 
of  stones,  that  can  keep  you  so  long  from  your  study  of  yon- 
der noble  and  gallant  ship?" 

"  Did  it  then  surprise  you  that  a  seaman  out  of  employ- 
ment should  examine  a  vessel  that  he  finds  to  his  mind,  per- 
haps with  an  intention  to  ask  for  service?" 

"  Her  commander  must  be  a  dull  fellow,  if  he  refuse  it  to 
so  proper  a  lad !  But  you  seem  to  be  too  well  instructed  for 
any  of  the  meaner  berths." 


56  THE   RED    ROVER. 

"Berths!"  repeated  the  other,  again  fastening  his  eyes, 
with  a  singular  expression,  on  the  stranger  in  green. 

"  Berths  I  It  is  your  nautical  word  for  'situation,'  or  'sta- 
tion,' is  it  not?  We  know  but  little  of  the  marine  vocabu- 
lary, we  barristers ;  but  I  think  I  may  venture  on  that  as  the 
true  Doric.  Am  I  justified  by  your  authority?" 

"  The  word  is  certainly  not  yet  obsolete ;  and,  by  a  figure, 
1  may  venture  to  say,  it  is  as  certainly  correct  in  the  sense 
you  used  it." 

"Obsolete!"  repeated  the  stranger  in  green,  returning  the 
meaning  look  he  had  just  received.  "  Is  that  the  name  of 
any  part  of  a  ship?  Perhaps,  by  figure,  you  mean  figure- 
head; and,  by  obsolete,  the  long-boat?" 

The  young  seaman  laughed;  and,  as  if  this  sally  had 
broken  through  the  barrier  of  his  reserve,  his  manner  lost 
some  of  its  restraint  during  the  remainder  of  their  confer- 
ence. 

"  It  is  just  as  plain,"  he  said,  "  that  you  have  been  at  sea, 
as  it  is  that  I  have  been  at  school.  Since  we  have  both 
been  so  fortunate,  we  may  afford  to  be  generous,  and  cease 
speaking  in  parables.  For  instance,  what  do  you  think  has 
been  the  object  and  use  of  this  ruin,  when  it  was  in  better 
condition  than  it  is  at  present?" 

"  In  order  to  judge  of  that,"  returned  the  stranger  in  green, 
"  it  may  be  necessary  to  examine  it  more  closely.  Let  us 
ascend." 

As  he  spoke,  the  barrister  mounted,  by  a  crazy  ladder,  to 
the  floor  which  lay  just  above  the  crown  of  the  arches, 
through  which  he  passed  by  an  open  trap-door.  His  com- 
panion hesitated  to  follow;  but,  observing  that  the  other  ex- 
pected him  at  the  summit  of  the  ladder,  and  that  he  very 
kindly  pointed  out  a  defective  round,  he  sprang  forward,  and 
went  up  the  ascent  with  the  agility  and  steadiness  peculiar 
to  his  calling. 

"  Here  we  are,"  exclaimed  the  stranger  in  green,  looking 
about  at  the  naked  walls,  which  were  formed  of  such  small 


THE    RED    ROVER.  57 

and  irregular  stones  as  to  give  the  building  the  appearance 
of  dangerous  frailty,  "  with  good  oaken  plank  for  our  deck, 
as  you  would  say,  and  the  sky  for  our  roof,  as  we  call  the 
upper  part  of  a  house  at  the  universities.  Now  let  us  speak 
of  things  on  the  lower  world.  A — a — ;  1  forget  what  you 
said  was  your  usual  appellation." 

"  That  might  depend  on  circumstances.  I  have  been 
known  by  different  names  in  different  situations.  However, 
if  you  call  me  Wilder,  I  shall  not  fail  to  answer." 

"  Wilder !  a  good  name :  though,  I  dare  say,  it  would  have 
been  as  true  were  it  Wild-one.  You  young  ship-boys  have 
the  character  of  being  a  little  erratic  in  your  humors. 
How  many  tender  hearts  have  you  left  to  sigh  for  your  er- 
rors, amid  shady  bowers,  while  you  have  been  ploughing — 
that  is  the  word,  I  believe — ploughing  the  salt-sea  ocean?" 

"  Few  sigh  for  me,"  returned  Wilder,  thoughtfully,  who 
began  to  chafe  under  this  free  sort  of  catechism.  "  Let  us 
return  to  our  study  of  the  tower.  What  think  you  has  been 
its  object? 

"  Its  present  use  is  plain,  and  its  former  use  can  be  no 
great  mystery.'  It  holds  at  this  moment  two  light  hearts ; 
and,  if  I  am  not  mistaken,  as  many  light  heads,  not  over- 
stocked with  the  stores  of  wisdom.  Formerly  it  had  its 
granaries  of  corn,  at  least,  and,  I  doubt  not,  certain  little 
quadrupeds  who  were  quite  as  light  of  fingers  as  we  are  of 
head  and  heart.  In  plain  English,  it  has  been  a  mill." 

"There  are  those  who  think  it  has  been  a  fortress." 

"Hum!  The  place  might  do,  at  need,"  returned  he  in 
green,  casting  a  rapid  and  peculiar  glance  around  him.. 
"  But  mill  it  has  been,  notwithstanding  one  might  wish  it  a 
nobler  origin.  The  windy  situation,  the  pillars  to  keep  off 
the  invading  vermin,  the  shape,  the  air,  the  very  complex- 
ion, prove  it.  Whir-r-r,  whir-r-r;  there  has  been  clatter 
enough  here  in  time  past,  I  warrant  you.  Hist!  It  is  not, 
done  yet!" 

Stepping  lightly  to  one  of  the  little  perforations  which 


$8  THE   RED    ROVER. 

had  once  served  as  windows  to  the  tower,  he  cautiously  thrust 
his  head  through  the  opening;  and,  after  gazing  there  half 
a  minutej  he  withdrew  it  again,  making  a  gesture  to  the  at- 
tentive Wilder  to  be  silent.  The  latter  complied;  nor  was 
it  long  before  the  nature  of  the  interruption  was  sufficiently 
explained. 

The  silvery  voice  of  woman  was  first  heard  at  a  little  dis- 
tance; and  then,  as  the  speakers  drew  nigher,  the  sounds 
arose  directly  from  beneath,  within  the  very  shadow  of  the 
tower.  By  a  sort  of  tacit  consent,  Wilder  and  the  barrister 
chose  spots  favorable  to  the  execution  of  such  a  purpose, 
and  each  continued,  during  the  time  the  visitors  remained 
near  the  ruin,  examining  their  persons,  unseen  themselves, 
and — we  are  sorry  we  must  do  so  much  violence  to  the 
breeding  of  two  such  important  characters  in  our  legend — 
amused  and  attentive  listeners  to  their  conversation. 


CHAPTER   IV. 

They  fool  me  to  the  top  of  my  bent. 

Hamlet. 

THE  party  below  consisted  of  four  individuals,  all  of  whom 
were  females.  One  was  a  lady  in  the  decline  of  her  years; 
another  was  past  the  middle  age;  the  third  was  on  the  very 
threshold  of  what  is  called  "life,"  as  it  is  applied  to  inter- 
course with  the  world ;  and  the  fourth  was  a  negress,  who 
might  have  seen  some  five-and-twenty  revolutions  of  the  sea- 
sons. The  latter,  at  that  time  and  in  that  country,  of  course 
appeared  only  in  the  character  of  a  humble,  though  perhaps 
favored,  domestic. 

"  And  now,  my  child,  that  I  have  given  you  all  the  advice 
which  circumstances  and  your  own  excellent  heart  need," 
said  the  elderly  lady,  among  the  first  words  that  were  dis- 
tinctly intelligible  to  the  listeners,  "I  will  change  the  un- 


THE    RED    ROVER,  59 

gracious  office  to  one  more  agreeable.  You  will  tell  your 
father  of  my  continued  affection,  and  of  the  promise  he  has 
given,  that  you  are  to  return  once  again,  before  we  separate 
for  the  last  time." 

This  speech  was  addressed  to  the  younger  female,  and 
was  apparently  received  with  as  much  tenderness  and  sin- 
cerity as  it  was  uttered.  The  one  who  was  addressed  raised 
her  eyes,  which  were  glittering  with  tears  she  evidently 
struggled  to  conceal,  and  answered  in  a  voice  that  sounded 
in  the  ears  of  the  two  youthful  listeners  like  the  notes  of  the 
siren,  so  very  sweet  and  musical  were  its  tones. 

"  It  is  useless  to  remind  me  of  a  promise,  my  beloved 
aunt,  which  I  have  so  much  interest  in  remembering,"  she 
said.  "  I  hope  for  even  more  than  you  have  perhaps  dared 
to  wish;  if  my  father  does  not  return  with  me  in  the  spring, 
it  shall  not  be  for  want  of  urging  on  my  part." 

"  Our  good  Wyllys  will  lend  her  aid,"  returned  the  aunt, 
smiling  and  bowing  to  the  third  female,  with  that  mixture 
of  suavity  and  form  which  was  peculiar  to  the  stately  man- 
ners of  the  time,  and  which  was  rarely  neglected  when  a  su- 
perior addressed  an  inferior.  "  She  is  entitled  to  command 
some  interest  with  General  Grayson,  from  her  fidelity  and 
services." 

"  She  is  entitled  to  everything  that  love  and  heart  can 
give!"  exclaimed  the  niece,  with  a  haste  and  an  earnestness 
that  proclaimed  how  willingly  she  would  temper  the  formal 
politeness  of  the  other  by  the  warmth  of  her  own  affection- 
ate manner;  "  my  father  will  scarcely  refuse  her  anything." 

"And  have  we  the  assurance  of  Mrs.  Wyllys  that  she  will 
be  in  our  interests?"  demanded  the  aunt,  without  permit- 
ting her  own  sense  of  propriety  to  be  overcome  by  the 
stronger  feelings  of  her  niece;  "with  so  powerful  an  'ally, 
our  league  will  be  invincible." 

"  I  am  so  entirely  of  opinion  that  the  salubrious  air  of 
this  healthful  island  is  of  great  importance  to  my  young 
charge,  madam,  that  were  all  other  considerations  wanting, 


6O  THE    RED    ROVER. 

the  little  I  can  do  to  aid  your  wishes  shall  be  sure  to  be 
done." 

Wyllys  spoke  with  dignity,  and  perhaps  with  some  por- 
tion of  that  reserve  which  distinguished  all  the  communica- 
tions between  the  wealthy  and  high-born  aunt  and  the  sala- 
ried and  dependent  governess  of  her  brother's  heiress.  Still 
her  manner  was  gentle,  and  the  voice,  like  that  of  her  pupil, 
soft  and  feminine. 

"  We  may  then  consider  the  victory  as  achieved,  as  my 
late  husband  the  rear-admiral  was  accustomed  to  say.  Ad- 
miral de  Lacey,  my  dear  Mrs.  Wyllys,  adopted  it  in  early 
life  as  a  maxim,  by  which  all  his  future  conduct  was  gov- 
erned, and  by  adhering  to  which  he  acquired  no  small  share 
of  his  professional  reputation,  that,  in  order  to  be  successful, 
it  was  only  necessary  to  be  determined  one  would  be  so;- — a 
noble  and  inspiriting  rule,  and  one  that  could  not  fail  to 
lead  to  those  signal  results  which,  as  we  all  know  them,  I 
need  not  mention. 

Wyllys  bowed  her  head,  in  acknowledgment  of  the  truth 
of  the  opinion,  and  in  testimony  of  the  renown  of  the  de- 
ceased admiral;  but  did  not  think  it  necessary  to  make  any 
reply.  Instead  of  allowing  the  subject  to  occupy  her  mind 
any  longer,  she  turned  to  her  young  pupil,  and  observed, 
speaking  in  a  voice  and  with  a  manner  from  which  every 
appearance  of  restraint  was  banished : 

"Gertrude,  my  love,  you  will  have  pleasure  in  returning 
to  this  charming  island,  and  to  these  cheering  sea-breezes." 

"And  to  my  aunt,"  exclaimed  Gertrude.  "I  wish  my 
father  could  be  persuaded  to  dispose  of  his  estates  in  Caro- 
lina, and  come  northward  to  reside  the  whole  year." 

"  It  is  not  quite  as  easy  for  an  affluent  proprietor  to  remove 
as  you  may  imagine,  my  child,"  returned  Mrs.  de  Lacey. 
"  Much  as  I  wish  that  some  such  plan  could  be  adopted,  I 
never  press  my  brother  on  the  subject.  Besides,  I  am  not 
certain,  that  if  we  were  ever  to  make  another  change  in  the 
family,  it  would  not  be  to  return  home  altogether.  It  is  now 


THE    RED    ROVER.  6 1 

more  than  a  century,  Mrs.  Wyllys,  since  the  Graysons  came 
into  the  colonies,  in  a  moment  of  dissatisfaction  with  the 
government  in  England.  My  great-grandfather,  Sir  Ever- 
ard,  was  displeased  with  his  second  son,  and  the  dissension 
led  my  grandfather  to  the  province  of  Carolina.  But,  as  the 
breach  has  long  since  been  healed,  I  often  think  my  brother 
and  myself  may  yet  return  to  the  halls  of  our  ancestors. 
Much  will,  however,  depend  on  the  manner  in  which  we  dis- 
pose of  our  treasure  on  this  side  of  the  Atlantic." 

As  the  really  well-meaning,  though,  perhaps,  a  little  too 
much  self-satisfied,  lady  concluded  her  remark,  she  glanced 
her  eye  at  the  perfectly  unconscious  subject  of  the  close  of 
her  speech.  Gertrude  had,  as  usual  when  her  aunt  chose  to 
favor  her  governess  with  any  of  the  family  reminiscences, 
turned  her  head  aside,  and  was  now  offering  her  cheek, 
burning  with  health,  and  perhaps  a  little  with  shame,  to  the 
cooling  influence  of  the  evening  breeze.  The  instant  the 
voice  of  Mrs.  de  Lacey  ceased,  she  turned  hastily  to  her 
companions;  and  pointing  to  a  noble-looking  ship,  whose 
masts,  as  it  lay  in  the  inner  harbor,  were  seen  rising  above 
the  roofs  of  the  town,  she  exclaimed,  glad  to  change  the  sub- 
ject in  any  manner: 

"And  yonder  gloomy  prison  is  to  be  our  home,  dear  Mrs. 
Wyllys,  for  the  next  month!" 

"I  hope  your  dislike  to  the  sea  has  magnified  the  time," 
mildly  returned  her  governess;  "the  passage  between  this 
place  and  Carolina  has  often  been  made  in  a  much  shorter 
period." 

"  That  it  has  been  so  done,  I  can  testify,"  resumed  the 
admiral's  widow,  adhering  a  little  pertinaciously  to  a  train 
of  thoughts  which,  once  thoroughly  awakened  in  her  bosom, 
was  not  easily  diverted  into  another  channel,  "  since  my  late 
estimable  and  (I  feel  certain  all  who  hear  me  will  acquiesce 
when  I  add)  gallant  husband  once  conducted  a  squadron  of 
his  royal  master,  from  one  extremity  of  his  majesty's  Amer- 
ican dominions  to  the  other,  in  a  time  less  than  that  named 


62  THE   RED    ROVER. 

by  my  niece.  It  may  have  made  some  difference  in  his 
speed  that  he  was  in  pursuit  of  the  enemies  of  his  king  and 
country ;  but  still  the  fact  proves  that  the  voyage  can  be 
made  within  the  month." 

"  There  is  that  dreadful  Henlopen,  with  its  sandy  shoals 
and  shipwrecks  on  one  hand,  and  that  stream  they  call  the 
Gulf,  on  the  other!"  exclaimed  Gertrude,  with  a  shudder  and 
a  burst  of  natural  terror,  which  makes  timidity  sometimes 
attractive,  when  exhibited  in  the  person  of  youth  and  beauty. 
"  If  it  were  not  for  Henlopen,  and  its  gales,  and  its  shoals, 
and  its  gulfs,  I  could  think  only  of  the  pleasure  of  meeting 
my  father." 

Mrs.  Wyllys,  who  never  encouraged  her  pupil  in  these 
•natural  weaknesses,  however  pretty  and  becoming  they  might 
appear  to  other  eyes,  turned  with  a  steady  mien  to  the  young 
lady,  and  remarked,  with  a  brevity  and  decision  that  were 
intended  to  put  the  question  of  fear  at  rest  for  ever : 

"  If  all  the  dangers  you  appear  to  apprehend  existed  in 
reality,  the  passage  would  not  be  made  daily,  or  even  hourly 
in  safety.  You  have  often,  madam,  come  from  the  Caro- 
linas  by  sea,  in  company  with  Admiral  de  Lacey?" 

"  Never,"  the  widow  promptly  and  a  little  drily  answered. 
"The  water  never  agreed  with  my  constitution,  and  I  have 
always  made  the  journey  by  land.  But  then,  you  know, 
Wyllys,  as  the  consort  and  relict  of  a  flag-officer,  it  was  not 
seemly  that  I  should  be  ignorant  of  naval  science.  I  be- 
lieve there  are  few  ladies  in  the  British  empire  who  are  more 
familiar  with  ships,  either  singly  or  in  squadron,  particu- 
larly the  latter,  than  myself.  This  information  I  have  nat- 
urally acquired,  as  the  companion  of  an  officer  whose  fortune 
it  was  to  lead  fleets.  I  presume  these  are  matters  of  which 
you  are  profoundly  ignorant." 

The  calm  dignified  countenance  of  Wyllys,  on  which  it 
would  seem  long  cherished  and  painful  recollections  had 
left  a  settled  but  mild  expression  of  sorrow,  that  rather  tem- 
pered than  destroyed  the  traces  of  character  which  were  still 


THE    RED    ROVER.  63 

remarkable  in  her  eye,  became  clouded  for  a  moment  with  a 
shade  of  melancholy.  After  hesitating,  as  if  willing  to 
change  the  subject,  she  replied: 

"  I  have  not  been  altogether  a  stranger  to  the  sea.  It  has 
been  my  lot  to  have  made  many  long,  and  some  perilous, 
voyages." 

"  As  a  mere  passenger.  But  we  wives  of  sailors,  only, 
among  our  sex,  can  lay  claim  to  any  real  knowledge  of  the 
noble  profession!  What  natural  object  is  there,  or  can  there 
be,"  exclaimed  the  nautical  dowager,  in  a  burst  of  profes- 
sional enthusiasm,  "finer  than  a  stately  ship  breasting  the 
billows,  as  I  have  heard  the  admiral  say  a  thousand  times, 
its  taffrail  ploughing  the  main,  and  its  cutwater  gliding 
after,  like  a  sinuous  serpent  pursuing  its  shining  wake, 
as  a  living  creature  choosing  its  path  on  the  land,  and 
leaving  the  bone  under  its  forefoot,  a  beacon  for  those 
that  follow?  I  know  not,  my  dear  Wyllys,  if  I  make  myself 
intelligible  to  you,  but  to  my  instructed  eye,  this  charm- 
ing description  conveys  a  picture  of  all  that  is  grand  and 
beautiful!" 

The  latent  smile  of  the  governess  might  have  betrayed 
that  she  was  imagining  the  deceased  admiral  had  not  been 
altogether  devoid  of  the  waggery  of  his  vocation,  had  not  a 
slight  noise,  which  sounded  like  the  rustling  of  the  wind, 
but  which  in  truth  was  suppressed  laughter,  proceeded  from 
the  upper  room  of  the  tower.  The  words,  "It  is  lovely!" 
were  still  on  the  lips  of  the  youthful  Gertrude,  who  saw  all 
the  beauty  of  the  picture  her  aunt  had  essayed  to  describe, 
without  descending  to  the  humble  employment  of  verbal 
criticism.  But  her  voice  became  hushed,  and  her  attitude 
that  of  startled  attention : — 

"Did  you  hear  nothing?"  she  said. 

"The  rats  have  not  yet  altogether  deserted  the  mill,"  was 
the  calm  reply  of  Wyllys. 

"Mill!  my  dear  Mrs. .Wyllys,  will  you  persist  in  calling 
this  picturesque  ruin  a  mill?" 


64  THE    RED    ROVER. 

"  However  fatal  it  may  be  to  its  charms,  in  the  eyes  oi 
eighteen,  I  must  call  it  a  mill" 

"  Ruins  are  not  so  plenty  in  this  country,  my  dear  gover- 
ness," returned  her  pupil,  laughing,  while  the  ardour  of  her 
eye  denoted  how  serious  she  was  in  defending  her  favourite 
opinion,  "  as  to  justify  us  in  robbing  them  of  any  little 
claims  to  interest  they  may  happen  to  possess." 

"  Then,  happier  is  the  country !  Ruins  in  a  land  are,  like 
most  of  the  signs  of  decay  in  the  human  form,  sad  evidences 
of  abuses  and  passions  which  have  hastened  the  inroads  of 
time.  These  provinces  are  like  yourself,  my  Gertrude,  in 
their  freshness  and  their  youth,  and,  comparatively,  in  their 
innocence  also.  Let  us  hope  for  both  a  long,  and  useful, 
and  a  happy  existence." 

"Thank  you  for  myself  and  for  my  country;  but  still  I 
can  never  admit  this  picturesque  ruin  has  been  a  mill" 

"  Whatever  it  may  have  been,  it  has  long  occupied  its 
present  place,  and  has  the  appearance  of  continuing  where 
it  is  much  longer,  which  is  more  than  can  be  said  of  our 
prison,  as  you  call  yonder  stately  ship,  in  which  we  are  so 
soon  to  embark.  Unless  my  eyes  deceive  me,  madam, 
those  masts  are  moving  slowly  past  the  chimneys  of  the 
town." 

"  You  are  very  right,  Wyllys.  The  seamen  are  towing  the 
vessel  into  the  outer  harbor,  where  they  will  warp  her  fast 
to  the  anchors,  and  thus  secure  her  until  they  shall  be  ready 
to  unmake  their  sails,  in  order  to  put  to  sea  in  the  morning. 
This  is  a  manoeuvre  often  performed,  and  one  which  the 
admiral  has  so  clearly  explained,  that  I  should  find  little 
difficulty  in  superintending  it  in  my  own  person,  were  it 
suitable  to  my  sex." 

"  This  is,  then,  a  hint  that  all  our  own  preparations  are 
not  completed.  However  lovely  this  spot  may  seem,  Ger- 
trude, we  must  now  leave  it,  for  some  months  at  least." 

"  Yes,"  continued  Mrs.  de  Lacey,  slowly  following  the 
footsteps  of  the  governess,  who  had  already  moved  from 


THE   RED    ROVER.  65 

beneath  the  ruin ;  "  whole  fleets  have  often  been  towed  to 
their  anchors,  and  there  warped,  waiting  for  wind  and  tide 
to  serve.  None  of  our  sex  know  the  dangers  of  the  ocean, 
but  we  who  have  been  bound  in  the  closest  of  all  ties  to 
officers  of  rank  and  great  service ;  and  none  others  can  ever 
truly  enjoy  the  real  grandeur  of  the  ennobling  profession. 
A  charming  object  is  a  vessel  cutting  the  waves  with  her 
taffrail,  and  chasing  her  wake  on  the  trackless  waters,  like 
a  courser  that  ever  keeps  in  his  path,  though  dashing  madly 
on  at  the  very  top  of  his  speed!" 

The  reply  of  Mrs.  Wyllys  was  not  audible  to  the  covert 
listeners.  Gertrude  had  followed  her  companions;  but, 
when  at  some  little  distance  from  the  tower,  she  paused  to 
take  a  parting  look  at  its  mouldering  walls.  A  profound 
stillness  succeeded  for  more  than  a  minute. 

"  There  is  something  in  that  pile  of  stones,  Cassandra," 
she  said  to  the  jet-black  maiden  at  her  elbow,  "  that  could 
make  me  wish  it  had  been  something  more  than  a  mill." 

"  There  rat  in  'em/'  returned  the  literal  and  simple-minded 
black;  "you  hear  what  Misse  Wyllys  say?" 

Gertrude  turned,  laughed,  and  patted  the  dark  cheek  of 
her  attendant,  with  fingers  that  looked  like  snow  by  the  con- 
trast, as  if  to  chide  her  for  wishing  to  destroy  the  pleasing 
illusion  she  would  so  gladly  harbor,  and  then  bounded 
down  the  hill  after  her  aunt  and  governess,  like  a  joyous  and 
youthful  Atalanta. 

The  two  singularly  consorted  listeners  in  the  tower  stood 
gazing  at  their  respective  lookouts,  so  long  as  the  smallest 
glimpse  of  the  flowing  robe  of  her  light  form  was  to  be 
seen;  and  then  they  turned  to  each  other,  and  stood  con- 
fronted, the  eyes  of  each  endeavoring  to  read  the  expression 
of  his  neighbor's  countenance. 

"  I  am  ready  to  make  an  affidavit  before  my  Lord  High 
Chancellor,"  suddenly  exclaimed  the  barrister,  "that  this 
has  never  been  a  mill !" 

"Your  opinion  has  undergone  a  sudden  change  I" 
5 


66  THE    RED    ROVER. 

"  I  am  open  to  conviction,  as  I  hope  to  be  a  judge.  The 
case  has  been  argued  by  a  powerful  advocate,  and  I  have 
lived  to  see  my  error.'*' 

"  And  yet  there  are  rats  in  the  place." 

"Land  rats,  or  water  rats?"  quickly  demanded  the  other, 
giving  his  companion  one  of  those  startling  and  search- 
ing glances,  which  his  keen  eye  had  so  freely  at  com- 
mand. 

"Both,  I  believe,"  was  the  caustic  reply;  "certainly  the 
former,  or  the  gentlemen  of  the  long  robe  are  much  injured 
by  report." 

The  barrister  laughed;  nor  did  his  temper  appear  in  the 
slightest  degree  ruffled  at  so  free  a  hit  at  his  learned  and 
honorable  profession. 

"  You  gentlemen  of  the  ocean  have  such  an  honest  and 
amusing  frankness  about  you,"  he  said,  "  that  I  vow  to  God 
you  are  overwhelming.  I  am  a  downright  admirer  of  your 
noble  calling,  and  something  skilled  in  its  terms.  What 
spectacle,  for  instance,  can  be  finer  than  a  noble  ship 
Stemming  the  waves  with  her  taffrail,'  and  chasing  her  wake, 
like  a  racer  on  the  course?" 

"  Leaving  the  'bone  in  her  mouth'  under  her  stern,  as  a 
lighthouse  for  all  that  come  after!" 

Then,  as  if  they  found  singular  satisfaction  in  dwelling 
on  these  images  of  the  worthy  relict  of  the  admiral,  they 
broke  out  simultaneously  into  a  fit  of  clamorous  merriment, 
which  caused  the  old  ruin  to  ring,  as  in  its  best  days  of 
windy  power.  The  barrister  was  the  first  to  regain  his  self- 
command,  for  the  mirth  of  the  young  mariner  was  joyous, 
and  without  the  least  restraint. 

"  But  this  is  dangerous  ground  for  any  but  a  seaman's 
widow  to  touch,"  the  former  observed,  as  suddenly  causing 
his  laughter  to  cease  as  he  had  admitted  of  its  indulgence. 
"The  younger,  she  who  is  no  lover  of  a  mill,  is  a  rare  and 
lovely  creature!  it  would  seem  that  she  is  the  niece  of  the 
nautical  critic." 


THE   RED   ROVER.  6? 

The  young  mariner  ceased  laughing  in  his  turn,  as  if  he 
were  suddenly  convinced  of  the  glaring  impropriety  of  mak- 
ing so  near  a  relative  of  the  fair  vision  he  had  seen,  the  sub- 
ject of  his  merriment.  Whatever  might  have  been  his  secret 
thoughts,  he  was  content  with  replying: 

"  She  so  declared  herself." 

"  Tell  me,"  said  the  barrister,  walking  close  to  the  other, 
like  one  who  communicated  an  important  secret  in  the  ques- 
tion, "  was  there  not  something  remarkable,  searching,  extra- 
ordinary, heart-touching,  in  the  voice  of  her  they  called 
Wyllys. 

"Did  you  note  it?" 

"  It  sounded  to  me  like  the  tones  of  an  oracle — the  whis- 
perings of  fancy — the  very  words  of  truth  1  It  was  a  strange 
and  persuasive  voice !" 

"  I  confess  I  felt  its  influence,  and  in  a  way  for  which  I 
cannot  account!" 

"  It  amounts  to  infatuation !"  returned  the  barrister,  pac- 
ing up  and  down  the  little  apartment,  every  trace  of  humor 
and  irony  having  disappeared  in  a  look  of  settled  and 
abstracted  care.  His  companion  appeared  little  disposed 
to  interrupt  his  meditations,  but  stood  leaning  against  the 
naked  walls,  himself  the  subject  of  reflection.  At  length 
the  former  shook  off  his  air  of  thought,  with  that  startling 
quickness  which  seemed  common  to  his  manner;  he  ap- 
proached a  window,  and  directing  the  attention  of  Wilder  to 
the  ship  in  the  outer  harbor,  abruptly  demanded: 

"Has  all  your  interest  in  yonder  vessel  ceased?" 

"Far  from  it;  it  is  just  such  a  boat  as  a  seaman's  eye 
loves  to  study !" 

"Will  you  venture  to  board  her?" 

"At  this  hour? — alone? — I  know  not  her  commander,  or 
her  people." 

"There  are  other  hours  beside  this,  and  a  sailor  is  certain 
of  a  frank  reception  from  his  messmates." 

"  These  slavers  are  not  always  willing  to  be  boarded ; 


68  THE    RED    ROVER. 

they  carry  arms,  and  know  how  to  keep  strangers  at  a 
distance." 

"  Are  there  no  watchwords  in  the  masonry  of  your  trade, 
by  which  a  brother  is  known  ?  Such  terms  as 'stemming  the 
waves  with  the  taffrail,'  for  instance,  or  some  of  those  know- 
ing phrases  we  have  lately  heard?" 

Wilder  kept  his  own  keen  look  on  the  countenance  of  the 
other,  as  he  thus  questioned  him,  and  seemed  to  ponder  on 
what  he  heard  before  he  ventured  a  reply. 

"  Why  do  you  demand  this  of  me?"  he  coldly  asked. 

"  Because,  as  I  believe  that  'faint  heart  never  won  fair 
lady/  so  do  I  believe  that  indecision  never  won  a  ship. 
You  wish  a  situation,  you  say;  and,  if  I  were  an  admiral,  I 
would  make  you  my  flag-captain.  At  the  assizes,  when  we 
wish  a  brief,  we  throw  out  the  proper  feelers.  But  perhaps 
I  am  talking  too  much  at  random  for  an  utter  stranger. 
You  will,  however,  remember,  that  though  it  is,  the  advice 
of  a  lawyer,  it  is  given  gratuitously." 

"  Is  it  the  more  to  be  relied  on  for  so  extraordinary 
liberality?" 

"  Of  that  you  must  judge  for  yourself,"  said  the  stranger 
in  green,  very  deliberately  putting  his  foot  on  the  ladder, 
and  descending,  until  no  part  of  his  person  but  his  head 
was  seen.  "Here  I  go,  literally  cutting  the  waves  with  my 
taffrail,"  he  added,  descending  backwards,  and  seeming  to 
take  great  pleasure  in  laying  particular  emphasis  on  the 
words.  "Adieu,  my  friend;  if  we  do  not  meet  again,  I 
enjoin  you  never  to  forget  the  rats  in  the  Newport  ruin." 

He  disappeared  as  he  concluded,  and  in  another  instant 
his  light  form  was  on  the  ground.  Turning  with  the  most 
admirable  coolness,  he  gave  the  bottom  of  the  ladder  a  trip 
with  one  of  his  feet,  and  laid  the  only  means  of  descent 
prostrate  on  the  earth.  Then,  looking  up  at  the  wondering 
Wilder,  he  nodded  his  head  familiarly,  repeated  his  adieu, 
and  passed  with  a  swift  step  from  beneath  the  arches. 

"This  is  extraordinary,  not  to   say  insolent,  conduct," 


THE   RED   ROVER.  69 

muttered  Wilder,  who  by  the  process  was  left  a  prisoner  in 
the  ruin.  After  ascertaining  that  a  fall  from  the  trap  might 
endanger  his  legs,  the  young  sailor  ran  to  one  of  the  win- 
dows of  the  place,  in  order  to  reproach  his  treacherous  com- 
rade, or  indeed  to  assure  himself  that  he  was  serious  in  thus 
deserting  him.  The  barrister  was  already  out  of  hailing 
distance,  and,  before  Wilder  had  time  to  decide  on  what 
course  to  take,  his  active  footsteps  had  led  him  into  the 
skirts  of  the  town,  among  the  buildings  of  which  his  person 
became  immediately  lost  to  the  eye. 

During  all  the  time  occupied  by  the  foregoing  scenes  and 
dialogue,  Fid  and  the  negro  were  diligently  discussing  the 
contents  of  the  bag,  under  the  fence  where  they  were  last 
seen.  As  the  appetite  of  the  former  became  appeased,  his 
didactic  disposition  returned,  and  at  the  precise  moment 
when  Wilder  was  left  alone  in  the  tower,  he  was  intently 
engaged  in  admonishing  the  black  on  the  delicate  subject 
of  behavior  in  mixed  society. 

"  And  so  you  see,  Guinea,"  he  concluded,  "  in  order  to 
keep  a  weather-helm  in  company,  you  are  never  to  throw  all 
aback,  and  go  stern  foremost  out  of  a  dispute,  as  you  have 
this  day  seen  fit  to  do.  According  to  my  Taming,  that 
Master  Nightingale  is  better  in  a  barroom  than  in  a  squall; 
and  if  you  had  just  luffed-up  on  his  quarter,  when  you  saw 
me  laying  myself  athwart  his  hawse  in  the  argument,  we 
should  have  given  him  a  regular  jam  in  the  discourse,  and 
then  the  fellow  would  have  been  shamed  in  the  eyes  of  the 
bystanders.  Who  hails?  what  cook  is  sticking  his  neigh- 
bor's pig  now?" 

"Lor'!  Misser  Fid,"  cried  the  black;  "here  Masser 
Harry,  wid  a  head  out  of  port-hole,  up  dereaway  in  a  light- 
house, singin'  out  like  a  marine  in  a  boat  wid  a  plug  out!" 

"Ay,  ay,  let  him  alone  for  hailing  a  top-gallant  yard, 
or  a  flying-jibboom!  The  lad  has  a  voice  like  a  French 
horn,  when  he  has  a  mind  to  tune  it!  And  what  the  devil 
is  he  manning  the  guns  of  that  weather-beaten  wreck  for? 


7O  THK   RED    ROVER. 

At  all  events,  if  he  has  to  fight  his  craft  alone,  there  is  no 
one  to  blame  but  himself,  since  he  has  gone  to  quarters 
without  beat  of  drum,  or  without  in  any  other  manner  seeing 
fit  to  muster  his  people." 

As  Dick  and  the  negro  had  both  been  making  the  best  of 
their  way  towards  the  ruin,  from  the  moment  they  discovered 
the  situation  of  their  friend,  by  this  time  they  were  within 
speaking  distance  of  the  spot  itself.  Wilder,  in  those 
brief,  pithy  tones  that  distinguish  the  manner  in  which  a 
sea-officer  issues  his  orders,  directed  him  to  raise  the  lad- 
der. When  he  was  liberated,  he  demanded,  with  a  suffi- 
ciently significant  air,  if  they  had  observed  the  direction  in 
which  the  stranger  in  green  had  made  his  retreat? 

"  Do  you  mean  the  chap  in  boots,  who  was  for  shoving 
his  oar  into  another  man's  rullock,  a  bit  ago,  on  the  wharf  ?" 

"The  very  same." 

"  He  made  a  slant  on  the  wind  until  he  had  weathered 
yonder  bit  of  a  barn,  and  then  he  tacked  and  stretched  away 
off  here  to  the  east-and-by-south,  going  large,  with  studding 
sails  alow  and  aloft,  as  I  think,  for  he  made  a  devil  of  a 
headway." 

"  Follow,"  cried  Wilder,  starting  forward  in  the  direction 
indicated  by  Fid,  without  waiting  to  hear  any  more  of  the 
other's  explanations. 

The  search  was  vain.  Although  they  continued  their 
inquiries  until  long  after  the  sun  had  set,  no  one  could  give 
them  the  smallest  tidings  of  what  had  become  of  the  stranger 
in  green.  Some  had  seen  him  and  marvelled  at  his  singu- 
lar costume,  and  bold  and  wandering  look;  but,  by  all  ac- 
counts, he  had  disappeared  from  the  town  as  strangely  and 
as  mysteriously  as  he  had  entered  it. 


THE  RED  ROVER. 


CHAPTER   V. 

Are  you  so  brave  ?    I'll  have  you  talked  with  anon. 

Coriolama. 

THE  good  people  of  the  town  of  Newport  sought  their  rest 
at  an  early  hour.  They  were  remarkable  for  that  temper- 
ance and  discretion  which,  even  to  this  day,  distinguish  the 
manners  of  the  inhabitants  of  New  England.  By  ten,  the 
door  of  every  house  in  the  place  was  closed  for  the  night; 
and  it  is  quite  probable,  that,  before  another  hour  had 
passed,  scarcely  an  eye  was  open,  among  all  those  which 
had  been  sufficiently  alert,  throughout  the  day,  not  only  in 
superintending  the  interests  of  their  proper  owners,  but  -in 
bestowing  wholesome  glances  at  the  concerns  of  the  rest  of 
the  neighborhood. 

The  landlord  of  the  "  Foul  Anchor,"  as  the  inn  where  Fid 
and  Nightingale  had  so  nearly  come  to  blows  was  called, 
scrupulously  closed  his  doors  at  eight;  a  sort  of  expiation, 
by  which  he  endeavored  to  atone,  while  he  slept,  for  any 
moral  peccadilloes  that  he  might  have  committed  during 
the  day.  Indeed,  it  was  to  be  observed  as  a  rule,  that  those 
who  had  the  most  difficulty  in  maintaining  their  good  name, 
on  the  score  of  temperance  and  moderation,  were  the  most 
rigid  in  withdrawing,  in  season,  from  the  daily  cares  of  the 
world.  The  admiral's  widow  had  given  no  little  scandal, 
in  her  time,  because  lights  were  so  often  seen  burning  in 
her  house  long  after  the  hour  prescribed  by  custom  for  their 
extinction.  There  were  several  other  little  particulars  in 
which  this  good  lady  had  also  rendered  herself  obnoxious 
to  the  whispered  remarks  of  some  of  her  female  visitants. 
An  Episcopalian  herself,  she  was  always  observed  to  be  em- 
ployed with  her  needle  on  the  evenings  of  Saturdays,  though 
by  no  means  distinguished  for  her  ordinary  industry.  It 
was,  however,  a  sort  of  manner  the  good  lady  had  of  exhibit- 
ing her  adherence  to  the  belief  that  the  night  of  Sunday 


72  THE   RED    ROVER. 

was  the  orthodox  evening  of  the  Sabbath.  On  this  subject 
there  was,  in  truth,  a  species  of  silent  warfare  between  her 
and  the  wife  of  the  principal  clergyman  of  the  town.  It 
resulted,  happily,  in  no  very  striking  marks  of  hostility. 
The  latter  was  content  to  retaliate,  by  bringing  her  work  on 
the  evenings  of  Sundays  to  the  house  of  the  dowager,  and 
occasionally  interrupting  her  discourse  by  a  diligent  appli- 
cation of  the  needle  for  some  five  or  six  minutes  at  a  time. 
Against  this  contamination  Mrs.  de  Lacey  took  no  other 
precaution  than  to  play  with  the  leaves  of  a  prayerbook,  pre- 
cisely on  the  principle  that  one  uses  holy  water  to  keep  the 
devil  at  that  distance  which  the  church  has  considered  safest 
for  its  proselytes.* 

Let  these  matters  be  as  they  would,  by  ten  o'clock  on  the 
night  of  the  day  our  tale  commences,  the  town  of  Newport 
was  as  still  as  if  it  did  not  contain  a  living  soul.  Watchmen 
there  were  none;  for  roguery  had  not  yet  begun  to  thrive 
openly  in  the  provinces.  When,  therefore,  Wilder  and  his 
two  companions  issued,  at  that  hour,  from  their  place  of 
retirement  into  the  empty  streets,  they  found  them  as  still 
as  if  man  had  never  trod  there.  Not  a  candle  was  to  be 
seen,  nor  the  smallest  evidence  of  human  life  to  be  heard. 
It  would  seem  our  adventurers  knew  their  errand  well ;  for 
instead  of  knocking  up  any  of  the  drowsy  publicans  to 
'demand  admission,  they  held  their  way  steadily  to  the 
water's  side;  Wilder  leading,  Fid  coming  next,  and  Scipio, 
in  conformity  to  all  usage,  bringing  up  the  rear,  in  his 
ordinary,  quiet,  submissive  manner. 

*  The  Puritans  believed  that  the  Sabbath  commenced  with  the  setting  of  the  sun  on 
Saturday,  and  ended  at  the  same  hour  on  Sunday.  Thus  the  latter  evening  through- 
out all  New  England  was,  and  in  some  measure  is  still,  more  observed  as  a  fete  than  as 
a  time  of  worship,  while  the  preceding  evening  is  respected  with  the  most  rigid  ob- 
servances. The  writer  once  had  a  discussion  on  this  point  with  a  New  England  divine. 
The  latter  had  no  very  high  biblical  authority  for  the  usage  ;  but  he  very  justly  re- 
marked, that  there  was  something  consolatory  and  grand  in  the  idea  that  the  whole  of 
Christendom  was  keeping  holy  the  Sabbath  at  precisely  the  same  moment!  It  is 
scarcely  necessary  to  add,  that  this  opinion,  besides  the  fact  that  the  usage  was  con- 
fined to  a  sect  or  sects,  was  met  by  the  objection  that  as  we  proceed  east  or  west,  there 
is  a  known  difference  in  time  to  defeat  the  calculation. 


THE   RED    ROVER.  73 

At  the  margin  of  the  water  they  found  several  small  boats 
moored  under  the  shelter  of  a  neighboring  wharf.  Wilder 
gave  his  companions  their  directions,  and  walked  to  a  place 
convenient  for  embarking.  After  waiting  the  necessary 
time,  the  bows  of  two  boats  came  to  the  land  at  the  same 
moment,  one  of  which  was  governed  by  the  hands  of  the 
negro,  and  the  other  by  those  of  Fid. 

"How's  this?"  demanded  Wilder;  "  is  not  one  enough? 
There  is  some  mistake  between  you." 

"  No  mistake  at  all,"  responded  Dick,  suffering  his  oar  to 
float  on  its  blade,  and  running  his  fingers  into  his  hair, 
content  with  his  achievement;  "no  more  mistake  than  there 
is  in  taking  the  sun  on  a  clear  day 'and  in  smooth  water. 
Guinea  is  in  the  boat  you  hired;  but  a  bad  bargain  you 
made  of  it,  as  I  thought  at  the  time :  and  so,  as  '  better  late 
than  never '  is  my  rule,  I  have  just  been  casting  an  eye  over 
all  the  craft;  if  this  is  not  the  tightest  and  fastest  rowing 
clipper  of  them  all,  then  am  I  no  judge;  and  yet  the  parish 
priest  would  tell  you,  if  he  were  here,  that  my  father  was  a 
boat-builder,  ay,  and  swear  it  too;  that  is  to  say,  if  you  paid 
him  well  for  the  same." 

"Fellow,"  returned  Wilder,  angrily,  "you  will  one  day 
induce  me  to  turn  you  adrift.  Take  the  boat  to  the  place 
where  you  found  it,  and  see  it  secured  as  before." 

"  Turn  me  adrift !"  deliberately  repeated  Fid,  "  that  would 
be  cutting  all  your  weather  lanyards  at  one  blow,  Master 
Harry.  Little  good  would  come  of  Scipio  Africa  and  you, 
after  I  should  part  company.  Have  you  ever  fairly  logg'd 
the  time  we  have  sailed  together?" 

"  Ay,  have  I ;  but  it  is  possible  to  break  even  a  friendship 
of  twenty  years." 

"  Saving  your  presence,  Master  Harry,  I'll  be  d — d  if  I 
believe  any  such  thing.  Here  is  Guinea,  who  is  no  better 
than  a  nigger,  and  therein  far  from  being  a  fitting  messmate 
to  a  white  man ;  but,  being  used  to  look  at  his  black  face  for 
four-and-twenty  years,  d'ye  see,  the  color  has  got  into  my 


^4  THE   RED   ROVER. 

eye,  and  now  it  suits  as  well  as  another.  Then,  at  sea,  in  a 
dark  night,  it  is  not  so  easy  a  matter  to  tell  the  difference. 
I  am  not  tired  of  you  yet,  Master  Harry,  and  it  is  no  trifle 
that  shall  part  us." 

"  Then,  abandon  your  habit  of  making  free  with  the  prop- 
erty of  others." 

"  I  abandon  nothing.  No  man  can  say  he  ever  know'd 
me  to  quit  a  deck  while  a  plank  stuck  to  the  beams;  and 
shall  I  abandon,  as  you  call  it,  my  rights?  What  is  the 
mighty  matter,  that  all  hands  must  be  called  to  see  an  old 
sailor  punished?  You  gave  a  lubberly  fisherman,  a  fellow 
who  has  never  been  in  deeper  water  than  his  own  line  will 
sound,  you  gave  him,  I  say,  a  glittering  Spaniard,  just  for 
the  use  of  a  bit  of  a  skiff  for  the  night,  or,  mayhap,  for 
a  small  reach  into  the  morning.  Well,  what  does  Dick 

do?  He  says  to  himself — for  d e  if  he's  any  blab 

to  run  round  a  ship  grumbling  at  his  officer — so  he  just 
says  to  himself,  'That's  too  much,'  says  he;  and  he  looks 
about  to  find  the  worth  of  it  in  some  of  the  fishermen's 
neighbors.  Money  can  be  eaten;  and,  what  is  better,  it 
may  be  drunk;  therefore,  it  is  not  to  be  pitch'd  overboard 
with  the  cook's  ashes.  I'll  warrant  me,  if  the  truth  could 
be  fair-ly  come  by,  it  would  be  found  that,  as  to  the  owners 
of  this  here  yawl  and  that  there  skiff,  their  mothers  are 
cousins,  and  that  the  dollar  will  go  in  snuff  and  strong 
drink  among  the  whole  family — so,  no  great  harm  done 
after  all." 

Wilder  made  an  impatient  gesture  to  the  other  to  obey, 
and  walked  up  the  bank,  to  give  him  time  to  comply.  Fid 
never  disputed  a  positive  and  distinct  order,  though  he 
often  took  so  much  discretionary  latitude  in  executing  those 
which  were  less  precise.  He  did  not  hesitate,  therefore,  to 
return  the  boat;  but  he  did  not  carry  his  subordination  so 
far  as  to  do  it  without  complaint.  When  this  act  of  justice 
was  performed,  Wilder  entered  the  skiff;  and  seeing  that  his 
companions  were  seated  at  their  cars,  he  bade  them  pull 


THE    RED    ROVER.  75 

down  the  harbor,  admonishing  them,  at  the  same  time,  to 
make  as  little  noise  as  possible. 

"The  night  I  rowed  you  into  Louisburg,  a-reconnoit- 
ring,"  said  Fid,  thrusting  his  left  hand  into  his  bosom, 
while,  with  his  right,  he  applied  sufficient  force  to  the  light 
oar  to  make  the  skiff  glide  swiftly  over  the  water — "that 
night  we  muffled  everything,  even  to  our  tongues.  When 
there  is  occasion  to  put  stoppers  on  the  mouths  of  a  boat's 
crew,  why,  I'm  not  the  man  to  gainsay  it;  but,  as  I  am  one 
of  them  that  thinks  tongues  were  just  as  much  made  to  talk 
with  as  the  sea  was  made  to  live  on,  I  uphold  rational  con- 
versation in  sober  society.  S'ip,  thou  Guinea,  where  the 
devil  are  you  shoving  the  skiff  to  ? — here  away  lies  the  island, 
and  you  are  for  going  into  yonder  bit  of  a  church." 

"Lay  on  your  oars,'7  interrupted  Wilder;  "let  the  boat 
drift  by  this  vessel." 

They  were  now  in  the  act  of  passing  the  ship  which  had 
been  warping  from  the  wharfs  to  an  anchorage,  and  in  which 
the  young  sailor  had  so  clandestinely  heard  that  Mrs.  Wyllys 
and  the  fascinating  Gertrude  were  to  embark,  on  the  follow- 
ing morning,  for  the  distant  province  of  Carolina.  As  the 
skiff  floated  past,  Wilder  examined  the  vessel,  by  the  dim 
light  of  the  stars,  with  a  seaman's  eye.  No  part  of  her  hull, 
her  spars,  or  her  rigging  escaped  his  notice;  and,  when  the 
whole  became  confounded,  by  the  distance,  in  one  dark  mass 
of  shapeless  matter,  he  leaned  his  head  over  the  side  of  his 
little  bark,  and  mused.  To  this  abstraction  Fid  presumed 
to  offer  no  interruption.  It  had  the  appearance  of  profes- 
sional duty;  a  subject  that,  in  his  eyes,  was  endowed  with 
a  species  of  character  that  might  be  called  sacred.  Scipio 
was  habitually  silent.  After  losing  many  minutes  in  this 
manner,  Wilder  suddenly  regained  his  recollection,  and 
abruptly  observed: 

"  It  is  a  tall  ship,  and  one  that  should  make  a  long  chase!" 

"  That's  as  may  be,"  returned  the  ready  Fid.  "  Should 
that  fellow  get  a  free  wind,  and  his  canvas  all  aboard,  it 


76  THE    RED    ROVER. 

might  worry  a  king's  cruiser  to  get  nigh  enough  to  throw  the 
iron  on  his  decks;  but  jammed  up  close-hauled,  why,  I'd  en- 
gage to  lay  on  his  weather-quarter  with  the  saucy  He 

"  Boys,"  interrupted  Wilder,  "  it  is  now  proper  that  you 
should  know  something  of  my  future  movements.  We  have 
been  shipmates,  I  might  almost  say  messmates,  for  more 
than  twenty  years.  I  was  no  better  than  an  infant,  Fid, 
when  you  brought  me  to  the  commander  of  your  ship,  and 
not  only  was  instrumental  in  saving  my  life,  but  in  putting 
me  into  a  situation  to  make  an  officer." 

"  Ay,  ay,  you  were  no  great  matter,  master  Harry,  as  to 
bulk;  and  a  short  hammock  served  your  turn  as  well  as  the 
captain's  berth." 

"  I  owe  you  a  heavy  debt,  Fid,  for  that  one  generous  act, 
and  something,  I  may  add,  for  your  steady  adherence  to  me 
since." 

"Why,  yes,  I've  been  pretty  steady  in  my  conduct,  Master 
Harry,  in  this  here  business,  more  particularly  seeing  that  I 
have  never  let  go  my  grapplings,  though  you've  so  often 
sworn  to  turn  me  adrift.  As  for  Guinea,  here,  the  chap 
makes  fair  weather  with  you,  blow  high  or  blow  low,  whereas 
it  is  no  hard  matter  to  get  up  a  squall  between  us,  as  might 
be  seen  in  that  small  affair  about  the  boat " 

"  Say  no  more  of  it,"  interrupted  Wilder,  whose  feelings 
appeared  sensibly  touched,  as  his  recollection  ran  over  long- 
past  and  bitterly-remembered  scenes;  "you  know  that  little 
else  than  death  can  part  us,  unless  indeed  you  choose  to 
quit  me  now.  It  is  right  you  should  know  that  I  am  engaged 
in  a  desperate  pursuit,  and  -one  that  may  easily  end  in  ruin 
to  myself  and  all  who  accompany  me.  I  feel  reluctant  to 
separate  from  you,  my  friends,  for  it  may  be  a  final  parting, 
but,  at  the  same  time,  you  should  know  all  the  danger." 

"Is  there  much  more  travelling  by  land?"  bluntly  de- 
manded Fid. 

"  No;  the  duty,  such  as  it  is,  will  be  done  entirely  on  the 
water." 


THE    RED    ROVER.  77 

"  Then  bring  forth  your  ship's  books,  and  find  room  for 
such  a  mark  as  a  pair  of  crossed  anchors,  which  stand 
for  all  the  same  as  so  many  letters  reading  'Richard 
Fid/" 

"  But  perhaps  when  you  know " 

"  I  want  to  know  nothing  about  it,  Master  Harry.  Haven't 
I  sailed  with  you  often  enough  under  sealed  orders,  to  trust 
my  old  body  once  more  in  your  company,  without  forgetting 
my  duty?  What  say  you,  Guinea?  will  you  ship?  or  shall 
we  land  you  at  once,  on  yonder  bit  of  a  low  point,  and  leave 
you  to  scrape  acquaintance  with  the  clams?" 

"  'Em  berry  well  off  here,"  muttered  the  perfectly  con- 
tented negro. 

"  Ay,  ay,  Guinea  is  like  the  launch  of  one  of  the  coasters, 
always  towing  in  your  wake,  Master  Harry;  whereas,  I  am 
often  luffing  athwart  your  hawse,  or  getting  foul,  in  some 
fashion  or  other,  on  one  of  your  quarters.  Howsomever,  we 
are  both  shipped,  as  you  see,  in  this  here  cruise,  with  the 
particulars  of  which  we  are  both  well  satisfied.  So  pass  the 
word  among  us  what  is  to  be  done  next,  and  no  more 
parley." 

"  Remember  the  cautions  you  have  already  received,"  re- 
turned Wilder,  who  saw  that  the  devotion  of  his  followers 
was  too  infinite  to  need  quickening,  and  who  knew,  from 
long  and  perilous  experience,  how  implicitly  he  might  rely 
on  their  fidelity,  notwithstanding  certain  failings,  that  were 
perhaps  peculiar  to  their  condition ;  "  remember  what  I  have 
already  given  in  charge ;  and  now  pull  directly  for  the  ship 
in  the  outer  harbor." 

Fid  and  the  black  promptly  complied ;  and  the  boat  was 
soon  skimming  the  water  between  the  little  island,  and  what 
might,  by  comparison,  be  called  the  main.  As  they  ap- 
proached the  vessel,  the  strokes  of  the  oars  were  moderated, 
and  finally  abandoned  altogether:  Wilder  preferring  to  let 
the  skiff  drop  down  with  the  tide  upon  the  object  he  wished 
well  to  examine  before  venturing  to  board. 


/  THE    RED    ROVER. 

"  Has  not  that  ship  her  nettings  triced  to  the  rigging?"  he 
demanded,  in  a  voice  that  was  lowered  to  the  tones  neces- 
sary to  escape  observation,  and  which  betrayed,  at  the  same 
time,  the  interest  he  took  in  the  reply. 

"According  to  my  sight,  she  has/'  returned  Fid;  "your 
slavers  are  a  little  pricked  by  conscience,  and  are  never 
over-bold,  unless  when  they  are  chasing  a  young  nigger  on 
the  coast  of  Congo.  Now,  there  is  about  as  much  danger 
of  a  Frenchman's  looking  in  here  to-night,  with  this  land 
breeze  and  clear  sky,  as  there  is  of  my  being  made  Lord 
High  Admiral  of  England;  a  thing  not  likely  to  come  to 
pass  soon,  seeing  that  the  king  don't  know  a  great  deal  of 
my  merit." 

"  They  are,  to  a  certainty,  ready  to  give  a  warm  reception 
to  any  boarders!"  continued  Wilder,  who  rarely  paid  much 
attention  to  the  amplifications  with  which  Fid  so  often  saw 
fit  to  embellish  the  discourse.  "  It  would  be  no  easy  matter 
to  carry  a  ship  thus  prepared,  if  her  people  were  true  to 
themselves." 

"  I  warrant  ye  there  is  a  full  quarter-watch  at  least  sleep- 
ing among  her  guns,  at  this  very  moment,  with  a  bright 
lookout  from  her  catheads  and  taffrail.  I  was  once  on  the 
weather  fore-yardarm  of  the  Hebe,  when  I  made,  hereaway 
to  the  southwest,  a  sail  coming  large  upon  us 

"Hist!  they  are  stirring  on  her  decks!" 

"To  be  sure  they  are.  The  cook  is  splitting  a  log;  the 
captain  has  most  likely  sung  out  for  his  night-cap." 

The  voice  of  Fid  was  lost  in  a  summons  from  the  ship, 
that  sounded  like  the  roaring  of  some  sea-monster,  which 
had  unexpectedly  raised  its  head  above  the  water.  The 
practised  ears  of  our  adventurers  instantly  comprehended  it 
to  be,  what  it  truly  was,  the  manner  in  which  it  was  not  un- 
usual to  hail  a  boat.  Without  taking  time  to  ascertain  that 
the  plashing  of  oars  was  to  be  heard  in  the  distance,  Wilder 
raised  his  form  in  the  skiff,  and  answered. 

"How  now?"  exclaimed  the  same  strange  voice;  "there 


THE    RED    ROVER.  /9 

is  no  one  victualled  aboard  here  that  speaks  thus.  Where- 
away  is  he  that  answers?"  » 

"A  little  on  your  larboard  bow;  here,  in  the  shadow  of 
the  ship." 

"And  what  are  ye  about,  within  the  sweep  of  my  hawse?" 

"Cutting  the  waves  with  my  taffrail,"  returned  Wilder 
after  a  moment's  hesitation. 

"What  fool  has  broke  adrift  here?"  muttered  his  interro- 
gator. "  Pass  a  blunderbuss  forward,  and  let  us  see  if  a 
civil  answer  can  be  drawn  from  the  fellow." 

"Hold!"  said  a  calm  authoritative  voice,  from  the  most 
distant  par?  of  the  ship;  "it  is  as  it  should  be;  let  them  ap- 
proach." 

The  man  in  the  bows  of  the  vessel  bade  them  come  along- 
side, and  the  conversation  ceased.  Wilder  had  now  an  op- 
portunity to  discover  that,  as  the  hail  had  been  intended 
for  another  boat,  which  was  still  at  a  distance,  he  had  an- 
swered prematurely.  But,  perceiving  that  it  was  too  late  to 
retreat  with  safety,  or  perhaps  only  acting  in  conformity  to 
his  original  determination,  he  directed  his  companions  to 
obey. 

"'Cutting  the  waves  with  the  taffrail '  is,  of  a  surety,  not 
the  civilest  answer  a  man  can  give  to  a  hail,"  muttered  Fid, 
dropping  the  blade  of  his  oar  into  the  water;  "nor  is  it 
matter  to  be  logged,  that  they  have  taken  offence  at  the 
same.  Howsomever,  Master  Harry,  if  they  are  so  minded 
as  to  make  a  quarrel  about  the  thing,  give  them  as  good  as 
they  send,  and  count  on  manly  backers." 

No  reply  was  made  to  this  encouraging  assurance;  for,  by 
this  time,  the  skiff  was  within  a  few  feet  of  the  ship.  Wilder 
ascended  the  side  of  the  vessel  amid  a  deep,  and,  as  he  felt 
it  to  be,  an  ominous  silence.  The  night  was  dark,  though 
enough  light  fell  from  the  stars,  that  were  here  and  there 
visible,  to  render  objects  sufficiently  distinct  to  the  eyes  of 
a  seaman.  When  our  young  adventurer  touched  the  deck, 
he  cast  a  hurried  and  scrutinizing  look  about  him?  as  if 


8O  THE    RED    BOVER. 

doubts  and  impressions,  which  had  long  been  harbored, 
were  all  to  be  resolved  by  that  first  view. 

An  ignorant  landsman  would  have  been  struck  with  the 
order  and  symmetry  with  which  the  tall  spars  rose  towards 
the  heavens,  from  the  black  mass  of  the  hull,  and  with  the 
rigging  that  hung  in  the  air,  one  dark  line  crossing  another, 
until  all  design  seemed  confounded  in  the  confusion  and 
intricacy  of  the  studied  maze.  But  to  Wilder  these  familiar 
objects  furnished  no  immediate  attraction.  His  first  rapid 
glance  had,  like  that  of  all  seamen  it  is  true,  been  thrown 
upwards,  but  it  was  instantly  succeeded  by  the  brief,  though 
keen,  examination  to  which  we  have  just  alluded.  With 
the  exception  of  one  who,  though  his  form  was  muffled  in  a 
large  sea  cloak,  seemed  to  be  an  officer,  not  a  living  creature 
was  visible  on  the  decks.  On  each  side  was  a  dark,  frown- 
ing battery,  arranged  in  the  beautiful  and  imposing  order  of 
marine  architecture ;  but  nowhere  could  he  find  a  trace  of 
the  crowd  of  human  beings  which  usually  throng  the  deck  of 
an  armed  ship,  or  that  was  necessary  to  render  the  engines 
effective.  It  was  quite  in  rule  that  most  of  her  people 
should  be  in  their  hammocks  at  that  hour;  but  still  it  was 
customary  to  leave  a  sufficient  number  on  the  watch,  to  look 
to  the  safety  of  the  vessel.  Finding  himself  so  unexpectedly 
confronted  with  a  single  individual,  our  adventurer  began  to 
be  sensible  of  the  awkwardness  of  his  situation,  and  of  the 
necessity  of  some  explanation. 

"  You  are  no  doubt  surprised,  sir,"  he  said,  "  at  the  late- 
ness of  the  hour  that  I  have  chosen  for  my  visit." 

"  You  were  certainly  expected  earlier,"  was  the  laconic 
answer. 

"Expected!" 

"  Ay,  expected.  Have  I  not  seen  you  and  your  two  com- 
panions who  are  in  the  boat,  reconnoitring  us  half  the  day 
from  the  wharfs  of  the  town,  and  even  from  the  old  tower  on 
the  hill  ?  What  did  all  this  curiosity  foretell,  but  an  inten- 
tion to  come  on  board?" 


THE   RED    ROVER.  8 1 

"  This  is  odd,  I  will  acknowledge !"  exclaimed  Wilder  in 
some  alarm.  "And,  then,  you  had  notice  of  my  inten- 
tions?" 

"  Hark  ye,  friend,"  interrupted  the  other,  indulging  in  a 
low  laugh;  "from  your  outfit  and  appearance,  I  think  I  am 
right  in  calling  you  a  seaman.  Do  you  imagine  that  glasses 
were  forgotten  in  the  inventory  of  this  ship?  or,  do  you 
fancy  that  we  don't  know  how  to  use  them?" 

"  You  must  have  strong  reasons  for  looking  so  deeply  into 
the  movements  of  strangers  on  the  land?" 

"  Hum !  Perhaps  we  expect  our  cargo  from  the  country. 
But  I  suppose  you  have  not  come  so  far  in  the  dark  to  look 
at  our  manifest.  You  would  see  the  captain?" 

"Do  I  not  see  him?" 

"Where?"  demanded  the  other,  with  a  start  that  proved 
he  stood  in  salutary  awe  of  his  superior. 

"  In  yourself." 

"  I !  I  have  not  got  so  high  in  the  books,  though  my 
time  may  yet  come  some  fair  day.  Hark  ye,  friend;  you 
passed  under  the  stern  of  yonder  ship,  which  has  been  haul- 
ing into  the  stream,  in  coming  out  to  us?" 

"  Certainly;  she  lies,  as  you  see,  directly  in  my  course." 

"A  wholesome-looking  craft  that!  and  one  well  found,  I 
warrant  you.  She  is  quite  ready  to  be  off,  they  tell  me." 

"  It  would  so  seem:  her  sails  are  bent,  and  she  floats  like 
a  ship  that  is  full." 

"Of  what?"  abruptly  demanded  the  other. 

"  Of  articles  mentioned  in  her  manifest,  no  doubt.  But 
you  seem  light  yourself :  if  you  are  to  load  at  this  port,  it 
will  be  some  days  before  you  put  to  sea." 

"  Hum !  I  don't  think  we  shall  be  long  after  our  neigh- 
bor," the  other  remarked,  a  little  dryly.  Then,  as  if  he 
might  have  said  too  much,  he  added  hastily,  "  We  slavers 
carry  little  else,  you  know,  than  our  shackles  and  a  few  ex- 
tra tierces  of  rice ;  the  rest  of  our  ballast  is  made  up  of 
these  guns,  and  the  stuff  to  put  into  them." 
6 


82  THE   RED    ROVER. 

"  And  is  it  usual  for  ships  in  the  trade  to  carry  so  heavy 
an  armament?" 

"  Perhaps  it  is — perhaps  not.  To  own  the  truth,  there  is 
not  much  law  on  the  coast,  and  the  strong  arm  often  does  as 
much  as  the  right.  Our  owners,  therefore,  I  believe,  think 
it  quite  as  well  there  should  be  no  lack  of  guns  and  ammu- 
nition on  board." 

"They  should  also  give  you  people  to  work  them." 

"  They  have  forgotten  that  part  of  their  wisdom,  certainly." 

His  words  were  nearly  drowned  by  the  same  gruff  voice 
that  had  brought-to  the  skiff  of  Wilder,  which  sent  another 
hoarse  summons  across  the  water,  rolling  out  sounds  that 
were  intended  to  say : 

"Boat  ahoy!" 

The  answer  was  quick,  short,  and  nautical ;  but  it  was 
rendered  in  a  low  and  cautious  tone.  The  individual,  with 
whom  Wilder  had  been  holding  such  equivocating  parlance, 
seemed  embarrassed  by  the  sudden  interruption,  and  a  little 
at  a  loss  to  know  how  to  conduct  himself.  He  had  already 
made  a  motion  towards  leading  his  visitor  to  the  cabin, 
when  the  sounds  of  oars  were  heard  clattering  in  a  boat 
alongside  of  the  ship,  announcing  that  he  was  too  late. 
Bidding  the  other  remain  where  he  was,  he  sprang  to  the 
gangway,  in  order  to  receive  those  who  had  just  arrived. 

By  this  sudden  desertion,  Wilder  found  himself  in  entire 
possession  of  the  part  of  the  vessel  where  he  stood.  It  gave 
him  a  better  opportunity  to  renew  his  examination,  and  to 
cast  a  scrutinizing  eye  over  the  new-comers. 

Some  five  or  six  athletic-looking  seamen  ascended  from 
the  boat,  in  profound  silence.  A  short  and  whispered  con- 
ference took  place  between  them  and  their  officer,  who  ap- 
peared both  to  receive  a  report  and  to  communicate  an  or- 
der. When  these  preliminary  matters  were  ended,  a  line 
was  lowered  from  a  whip  on  the  mainyard,  the  end  evidently 
dropping  into  the  boat.  In  a  moment,  the  burden  it  was 
intended  to  transfer  to  the  ship  was  seen  swinging  in  the  air, 


THE    RED    ROVER.  83 

midway  between  the  water  and  the  spar.  It  then  slowly  de- 
scended, inclining  in-board,  until  it  was  safely,  and  some- 
what carefully,  landed  on  the  decks  of  the  vessel. 

During  the  whole  of  this  process,  which  in  itself  had 
nothing  extraordinary,  or  out  of  the  daily  practice  of  large 
vessels  in  port,  Wilder  had  strained  his  eyes,  until  they  ap- 
peared nearly  ready  to  start  from  their  sockets.  The  black 
mass,  which"had  been  lifted  from  the  boat,  seemed,  while  it 
lay  against  the  background  of  sky,  to  possess  the  propor- 
tions of  the  human  form.  The  seamen  gathered  about  this 
object.  After  much  bustle,  and  a  good  deal  of  low  conver- 
sation, the  burden  or  body,  whichever  it  might  be  called, 
was  raised  by  the  men,  and  the  whole  disappeared  together, 
behind  the  masts,  boats,  and  guns,  which  crowded  the  for- 
ward part  of  the  vessel. 

The  whole  event  was  of  a  character  to  attract  the  attention 
of  Wilder.  His  eye  was  not,  however,  so  intently  riveted 
on  the  group  in  the  gangway,  as  to  prevent  his  detecting  a 
dozen  black  objects,  that  were  suddenly  thrust  forward,  from 
behind  the  spars  and  other  dark  masses  of  the  vessel.  They 
might  be  blocks  swinging  in  the  air,  but  they  bore  also  a 
strong  resemblance  to  human  heads.  The  simultaneous 
manner  in  which  they  appeared  and  disappeared  served  to 
confirm  this  impression;  nor,  to  confess  the  truth,  had  our 
adventurer  any  doubt  that  curiosity  had  drawn  so  many  inr 
quiring  countenances  from  their  respective  places  of  con- 
cealment. He  had  not  much  leisure,  however,  to  reflect  on 
all  these  little  accompaniments  of  his  situation,  before  he 
was  rejoined  by  his  former  companion,  who,  to  all  appear- 
ance, was  again  left  to  himself  in  entire  possession  of  the 
deck. 

"You  know  the  trouble  of  getting  off  the  people  from  the 
shore."  the  officer  observed,  "  when  a  ship  is  ready  to  sail." 

"  You  seem  to  have  a  summary  method  of  hoisting  them 
in,"  returned  Wilder. 

"  Ah!  you  speak  of  the  fellow  on  the  whip?     Your  eyes 


84  THE    RED    ROVER. 

are  good,  friend,  to  tell  a  jack-knife  from  a  marling-spike. 
at  this  distance.  But  the  lad  was  mutinous;  that  is,  not 
absolutely  mutinous — but  drunk.  As  mutinous  as  a  man 
can  well  be,  who  can  neither  speak,  sit,  nor  stand." 

Then,  as  if  as  well  content  with  his  humor  as  with  this 
simple  explanation,  the  other  laughed  and  chuckled  in  a 
manner  that  showed  he  was  in  perfect  good  humor  with 
himself. 

"  But  all  this  time  you  are  left  on  deck,"  he  quickly  add- 
ed, "and  the  captain  is  waiting  your  appearance  in  the 
cabin.  Follow;  I  will  be  your  pilot." 

"  Hold,"  said  Wilder;  "  will  it  not  be  as  well  to  announce 
my  visit?" 

"  He  knows  it  already :  little  takes  place  aboard  here  that 
does  not  reach  his  ears  before  it  gets  into  the  log-book." 

Wilder  made  no  further  objection,  but  indicated  his  readi- 
ness to  proceed.  The  other  led  the  way  to  the  bulkhead 
which  separated  the  principal  cabin  from  the  quarter-deck 
of  the  ship;  pointing  to  a  door,  he  then  whispered: 

"Tap  twice;  if  he  answer,  go  in." 

Wilder  did  as  directed.  His  first  summons  was  either 
unheard  or  disregarded.  On  repeating  it,  he  was  com- 
manded to  enter.  The  young  seaman  opened  the  door,  with 
a  crowd  of  sensations,  that  will  find  their  solution  in  the 
succeeding  parts  of  our  narrative,  and  instantly  stood,  under 
the  light  of  a  powerful  lamp,  in  the  presence  of  the  stranger 
in  green. 

CHAPTER   VI. 

— The  good  old  plan, 

That  they  should  get,  who  have  the  power, 
And  they  should  keep,  who  can. 

Wordsworth . 

THE  apartment  in  which  our  adventurer  now  found  himself 
afforded  no  bad  illustration  of  the  character  of  its  occupant 
In  its  form  and  proportions,  it  was  a  cabin  of  the  usual  size 


THE    RED    ROVER.  8$ 

and  arrangements;  but  in  its  furniture  and  equipments,  it 
exhibited  a  singular  admixture  of  luxury  and  martial  prep- 
aration. The  lamp,  which  swung  from  the  upper  deck,  was 
of  solid  silver;  and  though  adapted  to  its  present  situation 
by  mechanical  ingenuity,  there  was  that  in  its  shape  and 
ornaments  which  betrayed  it  had  once  been  used  before 
some  shrine  of  a  more  sacred  character.  Massive  candle- 
sticks, of  the  same  precious  metal,  and  which  partook  of  the 
same  ecclesiastical  formation,  were  on  a  venerable  table, 
whose  mahogany  was  glittering  with  the  polish  of  half  a 
century,  and  whose  gilded  claws  and  carved  supporters  be- 
spoke an  original  destination  very  different  from  the  ordi- 
nary service  of  a  ship.  A  couch,  covered  with  cut  velvet, 
stood  along  the  transom ;  while  a  divan,  of  blue  silk,  lay 
against  the  bulkhead  opposite,  manifesting,  by  its  fashion, 
it  materials,  and  its  piles  of  pillows,  that  even  Asia  had 
been  made  to  contribute  to  the  ease  of  its  luxurious  owner. 
In  addition  to  these  prominent  articles,  there  were  cut-glass 
mirrors,  plate,  and  even  hangings;  each  of  which,  by  some- 
thing peculiar  in  its  fashion  or  materials,  bespoke  an  origin 
different  from  that  of  its  neighbor.  In  short,  splendor 
and  elegance  seemed  to  have  been  much  more  consulted 
than  propriety  or  taste,  in  the  selection  of  most  of  those 
articles  which  had  been  oddly  enough  made  to  contribute 
to  the  caprice  or  to  the  comfort  of  their  singular  possessor. 
In  the  midst  of  this  medley  of  wealth  and  luxury  ap- 
peared the  frowning  appendages  of  war.  The  cabin  in- 
cluded four  of  those  dark  cannon  whose  weight  and  number 
had  been  first  to  catch  the  attention  of  Wilder.  Notwith- 
standing they  were  placed  in  such  close  proximity  to  the  ar- 
ticles of  ease  just  enumerated,  it  only  needed  a  seaman's  eye 
to  perceive  that  they  stood  ready  for  immediate  service,  and 
that  five  minutes  of  preparation  would  strip  the  place  of  all 
its  tinsel,  and  leave  it  a  warm  and  well-protected  battery. 
Pistols,  sabres,  half-pikes,  boarding-axes,  and  all  the  minor 
implements  of  marine  warfare,  were  arranged  about  the  cabin 


86  THE   RED    ROVER. 

in  such  a  manner  as  to  aid  in  giving  it  an  appearance  of 
wild  embellishment  while,  at  the  same  time,  each  was  con- 
venient to  the  hand. 

Around  the  mast  was  placed  a  stand  of  muskets;  and 
strong  wooden  bars,  that  were  evidently  made  to  fit  in 
brackets  on  each  side  of  the  door,  sufficiently  showed  that 
the  bulkhead  might  easily  be  converted  into  a  barrier.  The 
entire  arrangement  proclaimed  that  the  cabin  was  consid- 
ered the  citadel  of  the  ship.  In  support  of  this  latter  opin- 
ion there  was  also  a  hatch,  communicating  with  the  apart- 
ments of  the  inferior  officers,  and  which  opened  a  direct 
passage  into  the  magazine.  These  dispositions,  a  little 
different  from  what  he  had  been  accustomed  to  see,  instantly 
struck  the  eye  of  Wilder,  though  leisure  was  not  then  given 
to  reflect  on  their  usages  and  objects. 

There  was  a  latent  expression  of  satisfaction,  something 
modified  perhaps  by  irony,  on  the  countenance  of  the  stran- 
ger in  green  (for  he  was  still  clad  as  when  first  introduced 
to  the  reader),  as  he  arose,  on  the  entrance  of  his  visitor. 
The  two  stood  several  moments  without  speaking,  when  the 
pretended  barrister  saw  fit  to  break  the  awkward  silence. 

"To  what  happy  circumstance  is  this  ship  indebted  for 
the  honor  of  such  a  visit?"  he  demanded. 

"  I  believe  I  may  answer,  to  the  invitation  of  her  cap- 
tain," Wilder  answered,  with  a  steadiness  and  calmness 
equal  to  that  displayed  by  the  other. 

"  Did  he  show  you  his  commission,  in  assuming  that 
office?  They  say  at  sea,  I  believe,  that  no  cruiser  should 
be  found  without  a  commission." 

"  And  what  say  they  at  the  universities  on  this  material 
point?" 

"  I  see  I  may  as  well  lay  aside  my  gown,  and  own  the 
marling-spike!"  returned  the  other,  smiling.  "There  is 
something  about  the  trade — profession,  though,  I  believe,  is 
your  favorite  word — there  is  something  about  the  profession 
which  betrays  us  to  each  other.  Yes,  Mr.  Wilder,"  he 


THE    RED    ROVER.  / 

added,  with  dignity,  motioning  to  his  guest  to  imitate  his 
example,  and  take  his  seat,  "  I  am,  like  yourself,  a  seaman 
bred ;  and  happy  am  I  to  add,  the  commander  of  this  gallant 
vessel." 

"  Then  must  you  admit  that  I  have  not  intruded  without  a 
sufficient  warrant." 

"  I  confess  the  same.  My  ship  has  filled  your  eye  agree- 
ably ;  nor  shall  I  be  slow  to  acknowledge,  that  I  have  seen 
enough  about  your  air  and  person  to  make  me  wish  to  be  an 
older  acquaintance.  You  want  service?" 

"One  should  be  ashamed  of  idleness  in  these  stirring 
times." 

"  It  is  well.  This  is  an  oddly-constructed  world  in  which 
we  live,  Mr.  Wilder.  Some  think  themselves  in  danger 
with  a  foundation  beneath  them  no  less  solid  than  terra  firma, 
while  others  are  content  to  trust  their  fortunes  on  the  sea. 
So,  again,  some  there  are  who  believe  praying  is  the  busi- 
ness of  man ;  and  then  come  others  who  are  sparing  of  their 
breath,  and  take  those  favors  for  themselves  which  they  have 
not  always  the  leisure  or  the  inclination  to  ask  for.  No 
doubt  you  thought  it  prudent  to  inquire  into  the  nature  of 
our  trade,  before  you  came  hither  in  quest  of  employment?" 

"  You  are  said  to  be  a  slaver,  among  the  townsmen  of 
Newport." 

"They  are  never  wrong,  your  village  gossips!  If  witch- 
craft ever  truly  existed  on  earth,  the  first  of  the  cunning 
tribe  has  been  a  village  innkeeper;  the  second,  its  doctor; 
and  the^  third,  its  priest.  The  right  to  the  fourth  honor 
may  be  disputed  between  the  barber  and  the  tailor. — Rode- 
rick!" 

The  captain  accompanied  the  word  with  which  he  so  un- 
ceremoniously interrupted  himself,  by  striking  a  light  blow 
on  a  Chinese  gong,  which,  among  other  curiosities,  was  sus- 
pended from  one  of  the  beams  of  the  upper  deck,  within 
reach  of  his  hand. 

"I  say,  Roderick,  dost  sleep?" 


88  THE   RED    ROVER. 

A  light  and  active  boy  darted  out  of  one  of-  the  two  little 
staterooms  which  were  constructed  on  the  quarters  of  the 
ship,  and  answered  to  the  summons  by  announcing  his  pres- 
ence. 

"Has  the  boat  returned?" 

The  reply  was  in  the  affirmative. 

"Has  she  been  successful?" 

"  The  general  is  in  his  room,  sir,  and  can  give  you  an  an- 
swer better  than  I." 

"Then,  let  the  general  appear,  and  report  the  result  of 
his  campaign." 

Wilder  was  by  far  too  deeply  interested  to  break  the  sud- 
den reverie  into  which  his  companion  had  fallen,  even  by 
breathing  as  loud  as  usual.  The  boy  descended  through 
the  hatch  like  a  serpent  gliding  into  his  hole,  or,  rather,  a 
fox  darting  into  his  burrow,  and  then  a  profound  stillness 
reigned  in  the  cabin.  The  commander  of  the  ship  leaned 
his  head  on  his  hand,  appearing  unconscious  of  the  presence 
of  a  stranger.  The  silence  might  have  been  of  much  longer 
duration,  had  it  not  been  interrupted  by  the  appearance  of 
a  third  person.  A  straight,  rigid  form  slowly  elevated  itself 
through  the  little  hatchway,  very  much  in  the  manner  that 
theatrical  spectres  are  seen  to  make  their  appearance  on  the 
stage,  until  about  half  of  the  person  was  visible,  when  it 
ceased  to  rise,  and  turned  its  disciplined  countenance  on 
the  captain. 

"  I  wait  for  orders,"  said  a  mumbling  voice,  which  is- 
sued from  lips  that  were  hardly  perceived  to  move. 

Wilder  started  at  this  unexpected  vision,  nor  was  the 
stranger  wanting  in  an  aspect  sufficiently  remarkable  to 
produce  surprise  in  any  spectator.  The  face  was  that  of  a 
man  of  fifty,  with  the  lineaments  thoroughly  indurated  by 
service.  Its  color  was  a  uniform  red,  with  the  exception 
of  one  of  those  expressive  little  fibrous  tell-tales  on  each 
cheek,  which  bear  so  striking  a  resemblance  to  the  mazes  of 
the  vine,  and  which  would  seem  to  be  the  true  origin  of  the 


THE    RED    ROVER.  89 

proverb  which  says  that  "  Good  wine  needs  no  bush."  The 
crown  of  the  head  was  bald;  but  around  each  ear  was  a 
mass  of  grizzled  hair,  pomatumed  and  combed  into  military 
bristles.  The  neck  was  long,  and  supported  by  a  black 
stock;  the  shoulders,  arms,  and  body  were  those  of  a  tall 
man ;  and  the  whole  were  enveloped  in  an  overcoat,  which, 
though  it  had  something  methodical  in  its  fashion,  was  evi- 
dently intended  as  a  sort  of  domino.  The  captain  raised 
his  head  as  the  other  spoke,  exclaiming,  as  if  taken  by 
surprise, — • 

"Ah!  general,  are  you  at  your  post?  Did  you  find  the 
land?" 

"  Yes." 

"And  the  point? — and  the  man?" 

"  Both." 

"What  did  you?" 

"  Obey  orders." 

"  That  was  right. — You  are  a  jewel  for  an  executive  officer, 
general;  as  such,  I  wear  you  near  my  heart.  Did  the  fellow 
complain?" 

"  He  was  gagged." 

"A  summary  method  of  closing  remonstrance.  It  is  as  it 
should  be,  general ;  as  usual  you  have  merited  my  approba- 
tion." 

"  Then  reward  me  for  it." 

"In  what  manner?  You  are  already  as  high  in  rank  as 
I  can  elevate  you.  The  next  step  must  be  knighthood." 

"  Pshaw!  my  men  are  no  better  than  militia.  They  want 
coats." 

"They  shall  have  them.  His  majesty's  guards  shall  not 
be  half  so  well  equipped.  General,  I  wish  you  a  good- 
night." 

The  figure  descended  in  the  same  rigid  spectral  manner 
as  it  had  risen  on  the  sight,  leaving  Wilder  again  alone 
with  the  captain  of  the  ship.  The  latter  seemed  suddenly 
struck  with  the  fact  that  this  odd  interview  had  occurred  in 


QO  THE   RED    ROVER. 

the  presence  of  one  who  was  nearly  a  stranger,  and  that,  in 
his  eyes  at  least,  it  might  appear  to  require  some  explana- 
tion. 

"  My  friend,"  he  said,  with  an  air  something  explanatory, 
while  it  was  at  the  same  time  not  a  little  haughty,  "com- 
mands what,  in  a  more  regular  cruiser,  would  be  called  the 
Marine  guard.'  He  has  gradually  risen,  by  service,  from 
the  rank  of  a  subaltern,  to  the  high  station  which  he  now 
fills.  You  perceive  he  smells  of  the  camp?" 

"  More  than  of  the  ship.  Is  it  usual  for  slavers  to  be 
so  well  provided  with  military  equipments?  I  find  you 
armed  at  all  points." 

"  You  would  know  more  of  us,  before  we  proceed  to  drive 
our  bargain,"  the  captain  answered  with  a  smile.  He  then 
opened  a  little  casket  that  stood  on  the  table,  and  drew 
from  it  a  parchment,  which  he  coolly  handed  to  Wilder, 
saying,  as  he  did  so,  with  one  of  the  quick,  searching  glances 
of  his  restless  eye :  "  You  will  see  by  that  we  have  'letters  of 
marque,'  and  are  duly  authorized  to  fight  the  battles  of 
the  king,  while  we  are  conducting  our  own  more  peaceable 
affairs." 

"This  is  the  commission  of  a  brig!" 

"True,  true.  I  have  given  you  the  wrong  paper.  I 
believe  you  will  find  this  more  accurate." 

"This  is  truly  a  commission  for  the 'good  ship  Seven 
Sisters;'  but  you  surely  carry  more  than  ten  guns;  and  then, 
these  in  your  cabin  throw  nine  instead  of  four-pound 
shot." 

"You  are  as  precise  as  if  you  had  been  the  barrister,  and 
I  the  blundering  seaman.  I  dare  say  you  have  heard  of 
such  a  thing  as  stretching  a  commission?"  continued  the 
captain,  carelessly  throwing  the  parchment  back  among  a 
pile  of  similar  documents.  Then  rising  from  his  seat,  he 
began  to  pace  the  cabin  with  quick  steps,  as  he  continued, 
"  I  need  not  tell  you,  Mr.  Wilder,  that  ours  is  a  hazardous 
pursuit.  Some  call  it  lawless.  But,  as  I  am  little  addicted 


THE   RED   ROVER.  91 

to  theological  disputes,  we  will  waive  the  question.  You 
have  not  come  here  without  knowing  your  errand?" 

"  I  am  in  search  of  a  berth." 

"  Doubtless  you  have  reflected  well  on  the  matter,  and 
know  your  own  mind  as  to  the  trade  in  which  you  would 
sail.  In  order  that  no  time  may  be  wasted,  and  that  our 
dealings  may  be  frank,  as  becomes  two  honest  seamen,  I 
will  confess  to  you,  at  once,  that  I  have  need  of  you.  A 
brave  and  skilful  man,  one  older,  though  I  dare  say  not 
better  than  yourself,  occupied  that  larboard  stateroom, 
within  the  month;  poor  fellow,  he  is  food  for  the  fishes  ere 
this." 

"He  was  drowned?" 

"  Not  he !  He  died  in  open  battle  with  a  king's  ship !" 

"A  king's  ship!  Have  you  then  stretched  your  commis- 
sion so  far  as  to  find  a  warranty  for  giving  battle  to  his 
majesty's  cruisers?" 

"  Is  there  no  king  but  George  the  Second  ?  Perhaps  she 
bore  the  white  flag,  perhaps  a  Dane.  But  he  was  truly  a 
gallant  fellow ;  and  there  lies  his  berth,  as  empty  as  the  day 
he  was  carried  from  it  to  be  cast  into  the  sea.  He  was  a 
man  fit  to  succeed  to  the  command,  should  an  evil  star  shine 
on  my  fate.  I  think  I  could  die  easier,  were  I  to  know  this 
noble  vessel  was  to  be  transmitted  to  one  who  would  make 
such  use  of  her  as  should  be." 

"  Doubtless  your  owners  would  provide  a  successor,  in  the 
event  of  such  a  calamity." 

"My  owners  are  very  reasonable,"  returned  the  other, 
casting  another  searching  glance  at  his  guest,  which  com- 
pelled Wilder  to  lower  his  own  eyes  to  the  cabin  floor; 
"they  seldom  trouble  me  with  importunities  or  orders." 

"They  are  indulgent!  I  see  that  flags  at  least  were  not 
forgotten  in  your  inventory:  do  they  also  give  you  permis- 
sion to  wear  any  of  those  ensigns,  as  you  may  please?" 

As  this  question  was  put,  the  expressive  and  understand- 
ing looks  of  the  two  seamen  met.  The  captain  drew  a  flag 


92  THE    RED    ROVER. 

from  the  half-open  locker,  where  if  had  caught  the  attention 
of  his  visitor,  and,  letting  the  roll  unfold  itself  on  the  deck, 
he  answered: 

"This  is  the  lily  of  France,  you  see.  No  bad  emblem 
of  your  stainless  Frenchman.  An  escutcheon  of  pretence 
without  spot,  but,  nevertheless,  a  little  soiled  by  use.  Here 
you  have  the  calculating  Dutchman ;  plain,  substantial,  and 
cheap.  It  is  a  flag  I  little  like.  If  the  ship  be  of  value, 
her  owners  are  not  often  willing  to  dispose  of  her  without  a 
price.  This  is  your  swaggering  Hamburger.  He  is  rich 
in  the  possession  of  one  town,  and  makes  his  boast  of  it  in 
these  towers.  Of  the  rest  of  his  mighty  possessions  he 
wisely  says  nothing  in  his  allegory.  These  are  the  cres- 
cents of  Turkey;  a  moonstruck  nation,  that  believe  them- 
selves the  inheritors  of  heaven.  Let  them  enjoy  their 
birthright  in  peace ;  it  is  seldom  they  are  found  looking  for 
its  blessings  on  the  high  seas; — and  these,  the  little  satel- 
lites that  play  about  the  mighty  moon,  your  barbarians  of 
Africa.  I  hold  but  little  communion  with  these  wide- 
trousered  gentry,  for  they  seldom  deal  in  aught  gainful. 
And  yet,"  he  added,  glancing  his  eye  at  the  silken  divan, 
before  which  Wilder  was  seated,  "I  have  met  the  rascals; 
nor  have  we  parted  entirely  without  communication.  Ah! 
here  comes  the  man  I  like;  your  gorgeous  Spaniard!  This 
field  of  yellow  reminds  one  of  the  riches  of  his  mines;  and 
this  crown!  one  might  fancy  it  of  beaten  gold,  and  stretch 
forth  a  hand  to  grasp  the  treasure.  What  a  blazonry  is  this 
for  a  galleon!  Here  is  the  humbler  Portuguese ;  and  yet 
is  he  not  without  a  wealthy  look.  I  have  often  fancied 
there  were  true  Brazilian  diamonds  in  this  kingly  bauble. 
Yonder  crucifix,  which  you  see  hanging  in  pious  proximity 
to  my  stateroom  door,  is  a  specimen  of  the  sort  I  mean." 
Wilder  turned  his  head  to  throw  a  look  on  the  valuable  em- 
blem, that  was  really  suspended  from  the  bulkhead,  within 
a  few  inches  of  the  spot  the  other  named.  After  satisfying 
his  curiosity,  he  was  in  the  act  of  giving  his  attention  again 


THE   RED   ROVER.  93 

to  the  flags,  when  he  detected  another  of  those  penetrating, 
but  stolen  glances,  with  which  his  companion  so  often  read 
the  countenance  of  his  associates.  It  is  probable  that  the 
captain  was  endeavoring  to  discover  the  effect  his  profuse 
display  of  wealth  had  produced  on  the  mind  of  his  visitor. 
Let  that  be  as  it  would,  Wilder  smiled;  for,  at  that  moment, 
the  idea  first  occurred  that  the  ornaments  of  the  cabin  had 
been  thus  studiously  arranged  with  an  expectation  of  his 
arrival,  and  with  the  wish  that  their  richness  might  strike 
him  favorably.  The  other  caught  the  expression  of  his  eye; 
and  perhaps  he  mistook  its  meaning,  when  he  suffered  his 
construction  of  what  it  said  to  animate  him  to  pursue  his 
whimsical  analysis  of  the  flags,  with  an  air  still  more  cheer- 
ful and  vivacious  than  before. 

"  These  double-headed  monsters  are  land  birds,  and  sel- 
dom risk  a  flight  over  deep  waters,"  he  continued;  "they 
are  not  for  me.  Your  hardy,  valiant  Dane;  your  sturdy 
Swede;  a  nest  of  smaller  fry,"  he  continued,  passing  his 
hand  rapidly  over  a  dozen  little  rolls  as  they  lay,  each  in 
its  own  repository,  "  who  spread  their  bunting  like  larger 
states;  and  your  luxurious  Neapolitan.  Ah!  here  come  the 
keys  of  heaven!  This  is  the  flag  to  die  under;  I  lay  yard- 
arm  and  yardarm,  once,  under  that  very  bit  of  bunting,  with 
a  heavy  corsair  from  Algiers — 

"What!  Did  you  choose  to  fight  under  the  banners  of 
the  Church?" 

"  In  mere  devotion.  I  pictured  to  myself  the  surprise 
that  would  overcome  the  barbarian  when  he  should  find  that 
we  did  not  go  to  prayers.  We  gave  him  but  a  round  or  two, 
before  he  swore  that  Allah  had  decreed  he  might  surrender. 
There  was  a  moment,  while  I  luffed-up  on  his  weather-quar- 
ter, I  believe,  that  the  Mussulman  thought  the  whole  of  the 
sacred  conclave  was  afloat,  and  that  the  downfall  of  Mahomet 
and  his  offspring  was  nigh.  I  provoked  the  conflict,  I  will 
confess,  in  showing  him  these  peaceful  keys,  which  he  is  dull 
enough  to  think  open  half  the  strong  boxes  of  Christendom." 


94  THE    RED    ROVER. 

"When  he  had  confessed  his  error,  you  let  him  go?" 

"  Hum ! — with  my  blessing.  There  was  some  interchange 
of  commodities  between  us,  and  we  parted.  I  left  him  smok- 
ing his  pipe,  in  a  heavy  sea,  with  his  fore-topmast  over  the 
side,  his  mizzenmast  under  his  counter,  and  some  six  or 
seven  holes  in  his  bottom,  that  let  in  the  water  just  as  fast 
as  the  pumps  discharged  it.  You  see  he  was  in  a  fair  way 
to  acquire  his  portion  of  the  inheritance.  But  Heaven  had 
ordained  it  all,  and  he  was  satisfied!" 

"And  what  flags  are  these  which  you  have  passed?  They 
seem  rich  and  many." 

"These  are  England;  like  herself,  aristocratic,  party- 
colored,  and  a  good  deal  touched  by  humor.  Here  is 
bunting  to  note  all  ranks  and  conditions,  as  if  men  were  not 
made  of  the  same  flesh,  and  the  people  of  one  kingdom 
might  not  all  sail  honestly  under  the  same  emblems.  Here" 
is  my  Lord  High  Admiral;  your  St.  George;  your  field  of 
red,  and  of  blue,  as  chance  may  give  you  a  leader,  or  the 
humor  of  the  moment  prevail;  the  stripes  of  mother  India, 
and  the  royal  standard  itself!" 

"'The  royal  standard!" 

"Why  not?  a  commander  is  termed  *a  monarch  in  his 
ship.'  Ay,  this  is  the  standard  of  the  king;  and,  what  is 
more,  it  has  been  worn  in  presence  of  an  admiral!" 

"This  needs  explanation!"  exclaimed  his  listener,  who 
seemed  to  feel  much  that  sort  of  horror  that  a  churchman 
would  discover  at  the  detection  of  sacrilege.  "  To  wear  the 
royal  standard  in  presence  of  a  flag!  We  all  know  how 
difficult,  and  even  dangerous,  it  becomes,  to  sport  a  simple 
pennant,  with  the  eye  of  a  king's  cruiser  on  us — 

"I  love  to  flaunt  the  rascals!"  interrupted  the  other,  with 
a  smothered,  but  bitter  laugh.  "  There  is  pleasure  in  the 
thing!  In  order  to  punish,  they  must  possess  the  power; 
an  experiment  often  made,  but  never  successful.  You 
understand  balancing  accounts  with  the  law,  by  showing  a 
broad  sheet  of  canvas.  I  need  say  no  more." 


THE    RED    ROVER.  95 

"And  which  of  all  these  flags  do  you  most  use?"  de- 
manded Wilder,  after  a  moment  of  intense  thought. 

"  As  to  mere  sailing,  I  am  as  whimsical  as  a  girl  in  her 
teens  in  the  choice  of  her  ribbons.  I  will  often  show  you 
a  dozen  in  a  day.  Many  is  the  worthy  trader  who  has  gone 
into  port  with  his  veritable  account  of  this  Dutchman,  or 
that  Dane,  with  whom  he  has  spoken  in  the  offing.  As  to 
fighting,  though  I  have  been  known  to  indulge  a  humor, 
too,  in  that  particular,  still  there  is  one  which  I  most 
effect." 

"  And  that  is " 

The  captain  kept  his  hand  for  a  moment  on  the  roll  he 
had  touched,  and  seemed  to  read  the  very  soul  of  his 
visitor,  so  intent  and  keen  was  his  look  the  while.  Then, 
suffering  the  bunting  to  fall,  a  deep,  blood-red  field,  without 
relief  or  ornament  of  any  sort,  unfolded  itself,  and  he 
answered,  with  emphasis: 

"This." 

"That  is  the  color  of  a  rover!" 

"Ay,  it  is  red!  I  like  it  better  than  your  gloomy  fields 
of  black,  with  death's  heads,  and  other  childish  scarecrows. 
It  threatens  nothing;  but  merely  says,  'Such  is  the  price  at 
which  I  am  to  be  bought.'  Mr.  Wilder,"  he  added,  losing 
the  mixture  of  irony  and  pleasantry  with  which  he  had  sup- 
ported the  previous  dialogue,  in  an  air  of  authority,  "  we 
understand  each  other.  It  is  time  that  each  should  sail 
under  his  proper  colors.  I  need  not  tell  you  who  I  am." 

"  I  believe  it  is  unnecessary,"  said  Wilder.  "  If  I  can 
comprehend  these  palpable  signs,  I  stand  in  presence  of — 
of " 

"  The  Red  Rover,"  continued  the  other,  observing  that  he 
hesitated  to  pronounce  the  appalling  name.  "It  is  true; 
and  I  hope  this  interview  is  the  commencement  of  a  durable 
and  firm  friendship.  I  know  not  the  secret  cause,  but  from 
the  moment  of  our  meeting,  a  strong  and  indefinable  interest 
has  drawn  me  towards  you.  Perhaps  I  felt  the  void  which 


96  THE    RED    ROVER. 

my  situation  has  drawn  about  me; — be  that  as  it  may,  1 
receive  you  with  a  longing  heart  and  open  arms." 

Though  it  must  be  very  evident,  from  what  preceded  this 
open  avowal,  that  Wilder  was  not  ignorant  of  the  character 
of  the  ship  on  board  of  which  he  had  just  ventured,  yet  did 
he  not  receive  the  acknowledgment  without  embarrassment. 
The  reputation  of  this  renowned  freebooter,  his  daring,  his 
acts  of  liberality  and  licentiousness  so  frequently  blended, 
and  his  desperate  disregard  of  life  on  all  occasions,  were 
probably  crowding  together  in  the  recollection  of  our  more 
youthful  adventurer,  and  caused  him  to  feel  that  species  of 
responsible  hesitation,  to  which  we  are  all  more  or  less  sub- 
ject on  the  occurrence  of  important  events,  be  they  ever  so 
much  expected. 

"You  have  not  mistaken  my  pin-pose,  or  my  suspicions," 
he  at  length  answered,  "  for  I  own  I  have  come  in  search  of 
this  very  ship.  I  accept  the  service;  from  this  moment  you 
will  rate  me  in  whatever  station  you  may  think  me  best  able 
to  discharge  my  duty  with  credit." 

"You  are  next  to  myself.  In  the  morning  the  same  shall 
be  proclaimed  on  the  quarter-deck;  and,  in  the  event  of  my 
death,  unless  I  am  deceived  in  my  man,  you  will  prove 
my  successor.  This  may  strike  you  as  sudden  confidence. 
It  is  so,  in  part,  I  must  acknowledge;  but  our  ship- 
ping lists  cannot  be  opened,  like  those  of  the  king,  by 
beat  of  drum  in  the  streets  of  the  metropolis;  and  then 
am  I  no  judge  of  the  human  heart,  if  my  frank  reliance  on 
your  faith  does  not  in  itself  strengthen  your  good  feelings 
in  my  favor." 

"It  does!"  exclaimed  Wilder,  with  sudden  and  strong 
emphasis. 

The  Rover  smiled  calmly,  as  he  continued: 

"  Young  gentlemen  of  your  years  are  apt  to  carry  no  small 
portion  of  their  hearts  in  their  hands.  But  notwithstanding 
this  seeming  sympathy,  in  order  that  you  may  have  sufficient 
respect  for  the  discretion  of  your  leader,  it  is  necessary  that 


TEE   RED   ROVER.  97 

I  should  say  we  have  met  before.  I  was  apprised  o£  your 
intention  to  seek  me  out,  and  to  offer  to  join  me." 

"  It  is  impossible,"  cried  Wilder.  "  No  human  being " 

"  Can  ever  be  certain  his  secrets  are  safe,"  interrupted  the 
other,  "when  he  carries  a  face  as  ingenuous  as  your  own. 
It  is  but  four-and-twenty  hours  since  you  were  in  the  good 
town  of  Boston." 

"I  admit  that  much;  but — — " 

"  You  will  soon  admit  the  rest.  You  were  too  curious  in 
your  inquiries  of  the  dolt  who  declares  he  was  robbed  by  us 
of  his  provisions  and  sails.  The  f alse-tongued  villain !  It 
may  be  well  for  him  to  keep  from  my  path,  or  he  may  get  a 
lesson  that  shall  prick  his  honesty.  Does  he  think  such 
pitiful  game  as  he  would  induce  me  to  spread  a  single  inch 
Df  canvas,  or  even  lower  a  boat  into  the  sea?" 

"Is  not  his  statement,  then,  true?"  demanded  Wilder,  in 
a  surprise  he  took  no  pains  to  conceal. 

"  True !  Am  I  what  report  has  made  me  ?  Look  keenly 
at  the  monster,  that  nothing  may  escape  you,"  returned  the 
Rover,  with  a  hollow  laugh,  in  which  scorn  struggled  to  keep 
down  the  feelings  of  wounded  pride.  "Where  are  the 
horns,  and  the  cloven  foot?  Snuff  the  air:  is  it  not  tainted 
with  sulphur?  But  enough  of  this.  I  knew  of  your  in- 
quiries, and  liked  your  mien.  In  short,  you  were  my  study; 
and  though  my  approaches  were  made  with  some  caution, 
they  were  sufficiently  nigh  to  effect  the  object.  You  pleased 
me,  Wilder;  and  I  hope  the  satisfaction  may  be  mutual." 

The  newly  engaged  buccaneer  bowed  to  the  compliment 
of  his  superior,  and  appeared  at  some  little  loss  for  a  reply. 
As  if  to  get  rid  of  the  subject  at  once,  he  hurriedly  ob- 
served : 

"  As  we  now  understand  each  other,  I  will  intrude  no 
longer,  but  leave  you  for  the  night,  and  return  to  my  duty  in 
the  morning." 

"  Leave  me !"  returned  the  Rover,  stopping  short  in  his 
walk,  and  fastening  his  eye  keenly  on  the  other.  "  It  is  not 
7 


98  THE    RED    ROVER. 

usual  for  my  officers  to  leave  me  at  this  hour.  A  sailor 
should  love  his  ship,  and  never  sleep  out  of  her  unless  on 
compulsion." 

"  We  may  as  well  understand  each  other,"  said  Wilder 
quickly.  "  If  it  is  to  be  a  slave,  and  like  one  of  the  bolts, 
a  fixture  in  the  vessel,  that  you  need  me,  our  bargain  is  at 
an  end." 

"Hum!  I  admire  your  spirit,  sir,  much  more  than  your 
discretion.  You  will  find  me  an  attached  friend,  and  one 
who  little  likes  a  separation,  however  short.  Is  there  not 
enough  to  content  you  here?  I  will  not  speak  of  such  low 
considerations  as  those  which  administer  to  the  ordinary 
appetites.  But  you  have  been  taught  the  value  of  reason— 
here  are  books ;  you  have  taste — here  is  elegance ;  You  are 
poor — here  is  wealth." 

"They  amount  to  nothing,  without  liberty,"  coldly  re- 
turned the  other. 

*'  And  what  is  this  liberty  you  ask?  I  hope,  young  man, 
you  would  not  so  soon  betray  the  confidence  you  have  just 
received.  Our  acquaintance  is  but  short,  and  I  may  have^ 
been  too  hasty  in  my  faith." 

"  I  must  return  to  the  land,"  Wilder  added,  firmly,  "  if  it 
be  only  to  know  that  I  am  intrusted,  and  not  a  prisoner." 

"There  is  a  generous  sentiment,  or  deep  villany  in  all 
this,"  resumed  the  Rover,  after  a  minute  of  thought.  "  I 
will  believe  the  former.  Declare  to  me  that,  while  in  the 
town  of  Newport,  you  will  inform  no  soul  of  the  true  char- 
acter of  this  ship." 

"  I  will  swear  it,"  eagerly  interrupted  Wilder. 

"  On  this  cross,"  rejoined  the  Rover,  with  a  sarcastic 
laugh;  4<on  this  diamond-mounted  cross!  No,  sir,"  he 
added,  with  a  proud  curl  of  the  lip,  as  he  cast  the  jewel 
contemptuously  aside ;  "  oaths  are  made  for  men  who  need 
laws  to  keep  them  to  their  promises;  I  need  no  more  than 
the  clear  and  unequivocal  affirmation  of  a  gentleman." 

"Then,  plainly  and    unequivocally  do  I    declare,  that, 


THE   RED    ROVER.  99 

while  in  Newport,  I  will  discover  the  character  of  this  ship 
to  no  one,  without  your  wish,  or  order,  so  to  do.  Nay, 
more " 

"  No  more.  It  is  wise  to  be  sparing  of  our  pledges,  and 
to  say  no  more  than  the  occasion  requires.  The  time  may 
come  when  you  can  do  good  to  yourself,  without  harming 
me,  by  being  unfettered  by  a  promise.  In  an  hour  you  shall 
land;  that  time  will  be  needed  to  make  you  acquainted 
with  the  terms  of  your  enlistment,  and  to  grace  my  rolls 
with  your  name. — Roderick,"  he  added,  again  touching  the 
gong,  "  you  are  wanted,  boy." 

The  same  active  lad  that  had  made  his  appearance  at  the 
first  summons,  ran  up  the  steps  from  the  cabin  beneath,  and 
announced  his  presence  again  by  his  voice. 

"Roderick,"  continued  the  Rover,  "this  is  my  future 
lieutenant,  and,  of  course,  your  officer,  and  my  friend.  Will 
you  take  refreshment,  sir?  There  is  little  that  man  needs, 
which  Roderick  cannot  supply!" 

"  I  thank  you ;  I  have  need  of  none." 

"Then  have  the  goodness  to  follow  the  boy.  He  will 
show  you  into  the  dining  apartment  beneath,  and  give  you 
the  written  regulations.  In  an  hour,  you  will  have  digested 
the  code,  and  by  that  time  I  shall  be  with  you.  Throw  the 
light  more  upon  the  ladder,  boy;  you  can  descend  without 
a  ladder  though,  it  would  seem,  or  I  should  not,  at  this 
moment,  have  the  pleasure  of  your  company." 

The  intelligent  smile  of  the  Rover  was  unanswered  by 
any  corresponding  evidence  from  the  subject  of  his  joke, 
that  he  found  satisfaction  in  the  remembrance  of  the  awk- 
ward situation  in  which  he  had  been  left  in  the  tower.  The 
former  caught  the  displeased  expression  of  the  other's  coun- 
tenance, as  he  gravely  prepared  to  follow  the  boy,  who 
already  stood  in  the  hatchway  with  a  light.  Advancing  a 
step,  with  the  grace  and  tones  of  a  man  of  breeding,  he 
said  quickly: 

"  Mr.  Wilder,  I  owe  you  an  apology  for  my  seeming  rude 


TOO  THE    RED    ROVER. 

ness  at  parting  on  the  hill.  Though  I  believed  you  mine, 
I  was  not  sure  of  my  acquisition.  You  will  readily  see  how 
necessary  it  might  be,  to  one  in  my  situation,  to  throw  off  a 
companion  at  such  a  moment." 

Wilder  turned  with  a  countenance  from  which  every  shade 
of  displeasure  had  vanished,  and  motioned  to  him  to  say  no 
more. 

"  It  was  awkward  enough,  certainly,  to  find  one's  self  in 
such  a  prison ;  but  I  feel  the  justice  of  what  you  say.  I 
might  have  done  the  very  thing  myself,  if  the  same  presence 
of  mind  were  at  hand  to  help  me." 

"The  good  man,  who  grinds  in  the  Newport  ruin,  must  be 
in  a  sad  way,  since  all  the  rats  are  leaving  his  mill,"  cried 
the  Rover,  beckoning  his  temporary  adieus,  as  his  com- 
panion followed  the  boy. 

Wilder  freely  returned  the  open,  cordial  laugh;  and  then, 
as  he  descended,  the  cabin  was  left  to  him  who,  a  few  min- 
utes before,  had  been  found  in  its  quiet  possession. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

The  world  affords  no  law  to  make  thee  rich  ; 
Then  be  not  poor,  but  break  it  and  take  this. 
Afoth.  My  poverty,  but  not  my  will,  consents. 

Romeo  and  Juliet, 

THE  Rover  arrested  his  step,  as  the  other  disappeared,  and 
stood  for  more  than  a  minute  in  an  attitude  of  high  and 
self-gratulating  triumph.  He  was  exulting  in  his  success. 
But  though  his  intelligent  face  betrayed  the  satisfaction  of 
the  inward  man,  it  was  illumined  by  no  expression  of 
vulgar  joy.  It  was  the  countenance  of  one  who  was  suddenly 
relieved  from  intense  care,  rather  than  that  of  a  man  who 
was  greedy  of  profiting  by  the  services  of  others.  Indeed,  it 
would  not  have  been  difficult  for  a  close  observer  to  detect 
a  shade  of  regret  in  the  lightings  of  his  seductive  smile,  or 


THE   RED    ROVER.  IOI 

in  the  momentary  flashes  of  his  changeful  eye.  The  feeling, 
however,  quickly  passed  away,  and  his  whole  figure  and 
countenance  resumed  the  ordinary  careless  mien  in  which 
he  most  indulged  in  his  hours  of  ease. 

After  allowing  sufficient  time  for  the  boy  to  conduct 
Wilder  to  the  cabin  below,  and  put  him  in  possession  of  the 
regulations  for  the  police  of  the  ship,  the  captain  again 
touched  the  gong,  and  once  more  summoned  the  former  to  his 
presence.  The  lad  had,  however,  to  approach  the  elbow  of 
his  master,  and  to  speak  thrice,  before  the  other  was  con- 
scious that  he  had  answered  his  call. 

"  Roderick,"  said  the  Rover,  after  a  long  pause,  "  are  you 
there?" 

"  I  am  here,"  added  a  low,  and  a  mournful  voice. 

"Ah!  you  gave  him  the  regulations?" 

"I  did." 

"And  he  reads?" 

"  He  reads." 

"It  is  well.  I  would  speak  to  the  general.  Roderick, 
you  must  have  need  of  rest;  good-night;  let  the  general  be 
summoned  to  a  council  and — Good-night,  my  Roderick." 

The  boy  made  an  assenting  reply;  but,  instead  of  spring- 
ing with  his  former  alacrity  to  execute  the  order,  he  lingered 
a  moment  near  his  master's  chair.  Failing,  however,  in  his 
wish  to  catch  his  eye,  he  reluctantly  descended  the  stairs 
which  led  into  the  lower  cabins,  and  was  seen  no  more  that 
night. 

It  is  needless  to  describe  the  manner  in  which  the  general 
made  his  second  appearance.  It  differed  in  no  particular 
from  his  former  entrte,  except  that,  on  this  occasion,  the 
whole  of  his  person  was  developed.  He  appeared  a  tall, 
upright  form,  that  was  far  from  being  destitute  of  natural 
proportions,  but  which  has  been  so  exquisitely  drilled  into 
simultaneous  movement,  that  the  several  members  had  so 
far  lost  the  power  of  volition  as  to  render  it  impossible  for 
any  one  of  them  to  stir,  without  producing  something  like  a 


102  THE    RED    ROVER. 

correspondent  demonstration  in  all  of  its  fellows.  This 
rigid  and  well-regulated  personage,  after  making  a  military 
bow  to  his  superior,  helped  himself  to  a  chair,  in  which, 
after  some  little  time  lost  in  preparation,  he  seated  himself 
in  silence.  The  Rover  seemed  conscious  of  his  presence, 
for  he  acknowledged  his  salute  by  a  gentle  inclination  of 
his  own  head;  though  he  did  not  appear  to  think  it  neces- 
sary to  suspend  his  ruminations  the  more  on  that  account. 
At  length,  however,  he  turned  short  upon  his  companion, 
and  said  abruptly : 

"General,  the  campaign  is  not  finished." 

"What  remains?  The  field  is  won,  and  the  enemy  is  a 
prisoner." 

"  Ay,  your  part  of  the  adventure  is  well  achieved,  but  much 
of  mine  remains  to  be  done.  You  saw  the  youth  in  the 
lower  cabin?" 

"I  did." 

"And  how  do  you  like  his  appearance?" 

"Maritime." 

"That  is  as  much  as  to  say  you  like  him  not." 

"  I  like  discipline." 

"  I  am  much  mistaken  if  you  do  not  find  him  to  your  taste 
on  the  quarter-deck.  Let  that  be  as  it  may,  I  have  still  a 
favor  to  ask  of  you." 

"A  favor! — it  is  getting  late." 

"Did  I  say  *a  favor?'  there  is  duty  to  be  done." 

"I  wait  your  orders." 

"  It  is  necessary  that  we  use  great  precaution ;  for,  as  you 
know — 

"  I  wait  your  orders,"  laconically  repeated  the  other. 

The  Rover  compressed  his  mouth,  and  a  smile  struggled 
about  the  nether  lip;  but  it  changed  into  a  look  half  bland, 
half  authoritative,  as  he  continued : 

"You  will  find  two  seamen  in  a  skiff  alongside  the  ship; 
the  one  is  white,  and  the  other  is  black.  These  men  you 
will  have  conducted  into  the  vessel — into  one  of  the  for- 


THE   RED   ROVER.  1 03 

ward  staterooms — and  you  will  have  them  both  thoroughly 
intoxicated." 

"  It  shall  be  done,"  returned  he  who  was  called  the  gen- 
eral, rising,  and  marching  with  long  strides  towards  the  door 
of  the  cabin. 

"Pause  a  moment,"  added  the  Rover:  "what  agent  will 
you  use?" 

"  Nightingale  has  the  strongest  head  but  one  in  the  ship." 

"  He  is  too  far  gone  already.  I  sent  him  ashore  to  look 
about  for  any  straggling  seamen  who  might  like  our  service ; 
and  I  found  him  in  a  tavern,  with  all  the  fastenings  off  his 
tongue,  declaiming  like  a  lawyer  who  had  taken  a  fee  from 
both  parties.  Besides,  he  had  a  quarrel  with  one  of  these 
very  men,  and  it  is  probable  they  would  get  to  blows  in 
their  cups." 

"I  will  do  it  myself.  My  nightcap  is  waiting  for  me; 
and  it  is  only  to  lace  it  a  little  tighter  than  common." 

The, Rover  seemed  content  with  this  assurance;  for  he  ex- 
pressed his  satisfaction  with  a  familiar  nod  of  the  head. 
The  soldier  was  now  about  to  depart,  when  he  was  again 
interrupted: 

"  One  thing  more,  general :  there  is  your  captive." 

"  Shall  I  make  him  drunk  too?" 

"  By  no  means.     Let  him  be  conducted  thither." 

The  general  made  an  ejaculation  of  assent,  and  left  the 
cabin.  "  It  were  weak,"  thought  the  Rover,  as  he  resumed 
his  walk  up  and  down  the  apartment,  "  to  trust  too  much  to 
an  ingenuous  face  and  youthful  enthusiasm.  I  am  deceived 
if  the  boy  has  not  had  reason  to  think  himself  disgusted 
with  the  world,  and  ready  to  embark  in  any  romantic  enter- 
prise; but  still,  to  be  deceived  might  be  fatal;  therefore 
will  I  be  prudent,  even  to  excess  of  caution.  He  is  tied  in 
an  extraordinary  manner  to  these  two  seamen.  I  would  I 
knew  his  history.  But  that  will  come  in  proper  time.  The 
men  must  remain  as  hostages  for  his  own  return,  and  for 
his  faith.  If  he  prove  false,  why,  they  are  seamen ;  and 


IO4  THE   RED    ROVER. 

many  men  are  expended  in  this  wild  service  of  ours!  It  is 
well  arranged;  and  no  suspicion  of  any  plot  on  our  part 
will  wound  the  sensitive  pride  of  the  boy,  if  he  be,  as  I 
would  gladly  think,  a  true  man." 

Such  was,  in  a  great  manner,  the  train  of  thought  in 
which  the  Rover  indulged,  for  many  minutes  after  his  mili- 
tary companion  had  left  him.  His  lips  moved;  smiles,  and 
dark  shades  of  thought,  in  turn,  chased  each  other  from  his 
speaking  countenance,  which  betrayed  all  the  sudden  and 
violent  changes  that  denoted  the  workings  of  a  busy  spirit 
within.  While  thus  engrossed  in  mind,  his  step  became 
more  rapid,  and  at  times  he  gesticulated  a  little  extrava- 
gantly, when  he  found  himself,  in  a  sudden  turn,  unexpect- 
edly by  a  form  that  seemed  to  rise  on  his  sight  like  a  vision. 

While  most  engaged  in  his  own  humors,  two  powerful 
seamen  had,  unheeded,  entered  the  cabin;  and  after  silently 
depositing  a  human  figure  in  a  seat,  they  withdrew  without 
speaking.  It  was  before  this  personage  that  the  Rover  now 
found  himself.  The  gaze  was  mutual,  long,  and  uninter- 
rupted by  a  syllable  from  either  party.  Surprise  and  inde- 
cision held  the  Rover  mute,  while  wonder  and  alarm 
appeared  to  have  literally  frozen  the  faculties  of  the  other. 
At  length  the  former,  suffering  a  quaint  and  peculiar  smile 
t6  gleam  for  a  moment  across  his  countenance,  said  abruptly : 

"I  welcome  Sir  Hector  Homespun!" 

The  eyes  of  the  confounded  tailor — for  it  was  no  other 
than  that  garrulous  acquaintance  of  the  reader  who  had  fall- 
en into  the  toils  of  the  Rover — the  eyes  of  the  good-man 
rolled  from  right  to  left,  embracing  in  their  wanderings  the 
medley  of  elegance  and  warlike  preparation  that  they  every- 
where met,  never  failing  to  return,  from  each  greedy  look, 
to  devour  the  figure  that  stood -before  him. 

"I  say,  welcome,  Sir  Hector  Homespun!"  repeated  the 
Rover. 

"The  Lord  wall  be  lenient  to  the  sins  of  the  miserable 
father  of  seven  small  children!"  ejaculated  the  tailor.  "  It 


THE   RED    ROVER.  1 05 

is  but  little,  valiant  pirate,  than  can  be  gotten  from  a  hard- 
working, upright  tradesman,  who  sits  from  the  rising  to  the 
setting  sun,  bent  over  his  labor." 

"These  are  debasing  terms  for  chivalry,  Sir  Hector," 
interrupted  the  Rover,  laying  his  hand  on  the  little  riding 
whip,  which  had  been  thrown  carelessly  on  the  cabin  table, 
and  tapping  the  shoulder  of  the  tailor  with  the  same,  as  if 
he  were  a  sorcerer,  and  would  disenchant  the  other  with  a 
touch.  " Cheer  up,  honest  and  loyal  subject:  fortune  has 
at  length  ceased  to  frown :  it  is  but  a  few  hours  since  you 
complained  that  no  custom  came  to  your  shop  from  this 
vessel,  and  now  you  are  in  a  fair  way  to  do  the  business  of 
the  whole  ship." 

"Ah!  honorable  and  magnanimous  Rover,"  rejoined 
Homespun,  whose  fluency  returned  with  his  senses,  "  I  am 
an  impoverished  and  undone  man.  My  life  has  been  one 
of  weary  and  probationary  hardships.  Five  bloody  and 
cruel  wars — 

"Enough!  I  have  said  that  fortune  was  just  beginning  to 
smile.  Clothes  are  as  necessary  to  gentlemen  of  our  pro- 
fession as  to  the  parish  priest.  You  shall  not  baste  a  seam 
without  your  reward.  Behold!"  he  added,  touching  the 
spring  of  a  secret  drawer,  which  flew  open,  and  discovered 
a  confused  pile  of  gold,  in  which  the  coins  of  nearly  every 
Christian  people  were  blended,  "  we  are  not  without  the 
means  of  paying  those  who  serve  us  faithfully." 

The  sudden  exhibition  of  a  hoard  of  wealth,  which  not 
only  greatly  exceeded  anything  of  the  kind  he  had  ever 
before  witnessed,  but  which  actually  surpassed  his  limited 
imaginative  powers,  was  not  without  its  effect  on  the  sensi- 
tive feelings  of  the  good-man.  After  feasting  on  the  sight 
for  the  few  moments  that  .his  companion  left  the  treasure 
exposed  to  view,  he  turned  to  the  envied  possessor  of  so 
much  gold,  and  demanded — the  tones  of  increased  confi- 
dence gradually  stealing  into  his  voice,  as  the  inward  man 
felt  additional  motives  of  encouragement: 


IO6  THE   RED    ROVER. 

"And  what  am  I  expected  to  perform,  mighty  seaman, 
for  my  portion  of  this  wealth?" 

"  That  which  you  daily  perform  on  the  land — to  cut,  to 
fashion,  and  to  sew.  Perhaps,  too,  your  talent  at  a  masque- 
rade dress  may  occasionally  be  taxed." 

"Ah!  they  are  lawless  and  irreligious  devices  of  the 
enemy,  to  lead  men  into  sin  and  worldly  abominations. 
But,  worthy  mariner,  there  is  my  disconsolate  consort, 
Desire;  though  stricken  in  years,  and  given  to  wordy 
strife,  yet  is  she  the  lawful  partner  of  my  bosom,  and  the 
mother  of  a  numerous  offspring." 

"  She  shall  not  want.  This  is  an  asylum  for  distressed 
husbands.  Your  men,  who  have  not  force  enough  to  com- 
mand at  home,  come  to  my  ship  as  to  a  city  of  refuge.  You 
v/ill  make  the  seventh  who  has  found  peace  by  fleeing  to 
this  sanctuary.  Their  families  are  supported  by  ways  best 
known  to  ourselves,  and  all  parties  are  content.  This  is 
not  the  least  of  my  benevolent  acts." 

"  It  is  praiseworthy  and  just,  honorable  captain ;  and  I 
hope  that  Desire  and  her  offspring  may  not  be  forgotten. 
The  laborer  is  surely  worthy  of  his  hire;  and,  if,  peradven- 
ture,  I  should  toil  in  your  behalf,  through  stress  of  compul- 
sion, I  hope  the  good  woman,  and  her  young,  may  fatten  on 
your  liberality." 

"  You  have  my  word ;  they  shall  not  be  neglected." 

"  Perhaps,  just  gentleman,  if  an  allotment  should  be  made 
in  advance  from  that  stock  of  gold,  the  mind  of  my  consort 
would  be  relieved,  her  inquiries  after  my  fate  not  so  search- 
ing, and  her  spirit  less  troubled.  I  have  reason  to  under- 
stand the  temper  of  Desire ;  and  am  well  identified,  that, 
while  the  prospect  of  want  is  before  her  eyes,  there  will  be 
a  clamor  in  Newport.  Now  that  the  Lord  has  graciously 
given  me  the  hopes  of  a  respite,  there  can  be  no  sin  in  wish- 
ing to  enjoy  it  in  peace." 

Although  the  Rover  was  far  from  believing  with  his  cap- 
tive, that  the  tongue  of  Desire  could  disturb  the  harmony  of 


THE    RED    ROVER.  IO/ 

his  ship,  he  was  in  the  humor  to  be  indulgent.  Touching 
the  spring  again,  he  took  a  handful  of  the  gold,  and  extend- 
ing it  towards  Homespun,  demanded: 

"Will  you  take  the  bounty  and  the  oath?  The  money 
will  then  be  your  own." 

"The  Lord  defend  us  from  the  evil  one,  and  deliver  us 
all  from  temptation!"  ejaculated  the  tailor.  "Heroic 
Rover,  I  have  a  dread  of  the  law.  Should 'any  evil  over- 
come you,  in  the  shape  of  a  king's  cruiser,  or  a  tempest  cast 
you  on  the  land,  there  might  be  danger  in  being  contami- 
nated too  closely  with  your  crew.  Any  little  services  which 
I  may  render,  on  compulsion,  will  be  overlooked,  I  humbly 
hope;  and  I  trust  to  your  magnanimity,  honest  and  honora- 
ble commander,  that  the  same  will  not  be  forgotten  in  the 
division  of  your  upright  earnings." 

"  This  is  but  the  spirit  of  cabbaging,  a  little  distorted," 
muttered  the  Rover,  as  he  turned  lightly  on  his  heel,  and 
tapped  the  gong,  with  an  impatience  that  sent  the  startling 
sounds  through  every  cranny  of  the  ship.  Four  or  five  heads 
were  thrust  in  at  the  different  doors  of  the  cabin,  and  the 
voice  of  one  was  heard,  desiring  to  know  the  wishes  of  their 
leader. 

"  Take  him  to  his  hammock,"  was  the  sudden  order. 

The  good-man  Homespun,  who,  from  fright  or  policy, 
appeared  to  be  utterly  unable  to  move,  was  quickly  lifted 
from  his  seat,  and  conveyed  to  the  door  which  communi- 
cated with  the  quarter-deck. 

"  Pause,"  he  exclaimed,  to  his  unceremonious  bearers,  as 
they  were  about  to  transport  him  to  the  place  designated  by 
their  captain  ;  "  I  have  one  word  yet  to  say.  Honest  and 
loyal  rebel,  though  I  do  not  accept  your  service,  neither  do 
I  refuse  it  in  an  unseemly  and  irreverent  manner.  It  is  a 
sore  temptation,  and  I  feel  it  at  my  fingers'  ends.  But  a 
covenant  may  be  made  between  us,  by  which  neither  party 
shall  be  a  loser,  and  in  which  the  law  shall  find  no  grounds 
of  displeasure.  I  would  wish,  mighty  commodore,  to  carry 


IO8  THE    RED    ROVER. 

an  honest  name  to  my  grave,  and  I  would  also  wish  to  live 
out  the  number  of  my  days ;  for,  after  having  passed  with  so 
much  credit  and  unharmed,  through  five  bloody  and  cruel 
wars " 

"  Away  with  him." 

Homespun  vanished,  as  if  magic  had  been  employed  in 
transporting  him,  and  the  Rover  was  again  left  to  himself. 
His  meditations  were  not  interrupted  for  a  long  time,  by 
human  footstep  or  voice.  That  breathing  stillness,  which 
unbending  and  stern  discipline  can  alone  impart,  pervaded 
the  ship.  A  landsman  seated  in  the  cabin  might  have  fan- 
cied himself,  although  surrounded  by  a  crew  of  lawless  and 
violent  men,  in  the  solitude  of  a  deserted  church,  so  sup- 
pressed and  deadened  were  even  those  sounds  that  were 
absolutely  necessary.  There  were  heard  at  times,  it  is  true, 
the  high  and  harsh  notes  of  some  reveller,  who  appeared  to 
break  forth  in  the  strains  of  a  sea-song,  which,  as  they  is- 
sued from  the  depths  of  the  vessel,  and  were  not  very  musi- 
cal in  themselves,  broke  on  the  silence  like  the  first  dis- 
cordant strains  of  a  new  practitioner  on  a  bugle.  But  even 
these  interruptions  gradually  grew  less  frequent,  and  finally 
became  inaudible.  At  length  the  Rover  heard  a  hand  fum- 
bling about  the  handle  of  the  cabin  door,  and  then  his  mili- 
tary friend  once  more  made  his  appearance. 

There  was  that  in  the  step,  the  countenance,  and  the 
whole  air  of  the  general,  which  proclaimed  that  his  recent 
service,  if  successful,  had  not  been  achieved  without  great 
personal  hazard.  The  Rover,  who  had  started  from  his 
seat  the  moment  he  saw  who  entered,  instantly  demanded 
his  report. 

"The  white  is  so  drunk,  that  he  cannot  lie  down  without 
holding  on  to  the  mast;  but  the  negro  is  either  a  cheat,  or 
his  head  is  made  of  flint." 

"  I  hope  you  have  not  too  easily  abandoned  the  design." 

"I  would  as  soon  batter  a  mountain!  My  retreat  was 
not  made  a  minute  too  soon." 


THE    RED    ROVER.  IOQ 

The  Rover  fastened  his  eye  on  the  general,  in  order  to 
assure  himself  of  the  precise  condition  of  his  subaltern, 
and  changed  his  purpose. 

"  It  is  well.     We  will  now  retire  for  the  night." 

The  other  carefully  dressed  his  tall  person,  and  brought 
his  face  in  the  direction  of  the  little  hatchway  so  often 
named.  Then,  by  a  sort  of  desperate  effort,  he  essayed  to 
march  to  the  spot,  with  his  customary  military  step.  As 
one  or  two  erratic  movements,  and  crossings  of  the  legs,  were 
not  commented  on  by  his  captain,  the  worthy  martinet 
descended  the  stairs,  as  he  believed,  with  sufficient  dignity, 
the  moral  man  not  being  in  the  precise  state  which  is  the 
best  adapted  to  discover  any  little  blunders  that  might  be 
made  by  his  physical  coadjutor.  The  Rover  looked  at  his 
watch;  and,  after  allowing  sufficient  time  for  the  deliberate 
retreat  of  the  general,  he  stepped  lightly  on  the  stairs,  and 
descended  also. 

The  lower  apartments  of  the  vessel,  though  less  striking 
in  their  equipments  than  the  upper  cabin,  were  arranged 
with  great  attention  to  neatness  and  comfort.  A  few  offices 
for  the  servants  occupied  the  extreme  after-part  of  the  ship, 
communicating  by  doors  with  the  dining  apartment  of  the 
secondary  officers;  or,  as  it  was  called  in  technical  language, 
the  "  ward-room."  On  each  side  of  this,  again,  were  the 
staterooms,  an  imposing  name  by  which  the  dormitories  of 
those  who  are  entitled  to  the  honors  of  the  quarter-deck 
are  called.  Forward  of  the  ward-room  came  the  apart- 
ments of  the  minor  officers;  and,  immediately  in  front  of 
them,  the  corps  of  the  individual  who  was  called  the  general 
was  lodged,  forming,  by  their  discipline,  a  barrier  between 
the  more  lawless  seamen  and  their  superiors. 

There  was  little  departure,  in  this  disposition  of  the 
accommodations,  from  the  ordinary  arrangements  of  vessels 
of  war  of  the  same  description  and  force  as  the  Rover;  but 
Wilder  had  not  failed  to  remark,  that  the  bulkheads  which 
separated  the  cabins  from  the  berth-deck,  or  the  part  occu- 


IIO  THE    RED    ROVER. 

pied  by  the  crew,  were  far  stouter  than  common,  and  that  a 
small  howitzer  was  at  hand,  to  be  used,  as  a  physician  might 
say,  internally,  should  occasion  require.  The  doors  were 
of  extraordinary  strength,  and  the  means  of  barricading  them 
resembled  more  a  preparation  for  battle  than  the  usual 
securities  against  petty  encroachments  on  private  property. 
Muskets,  blunderbusses,  pistols,  sabres,  half-pikes,  etc.,  were 
fixed  to  the  beams  and  carl  ings,  or  were  made  to  serve  as 
ornaments  against  the  different  bulkheads,  in  a  profusion 
that  plainly  told  they  were  there  as  much  for  use  as  for  show. 
In  short,  to  the  eye  of  a  seaman,  the  whole  betrayed  a  state 
of  things  in  which  the  superiors  felt  that  their  whole  secur- 
ity against  the  violence  and  insubordination  of  their  infe- 
riors depended  on  their  influence  and  their  ability  to  resist, 
united;  and  that  the  former  had  not  deemed  it  prudent  to 
neglect  any  of  the  precautions  which  might  aid  their  com- 
paratively less  powerful  physical  force. 

In  the  principal  of  the  lower  apartments,  or  the  ward- 
room, the  Rover  found  his  newly  enlisted  lieutenant, 
apparently  busy  in  studying  the  regulations  of  the  service 
in  which  he  had  just  embarked.  Approaching  the  corner 
in  which  the  latter  had  seated  himself,  the  former  said,  in 
a  frank,  encouraging,  and  even  confidential  manner : 

"I  hope  you  find  our  laws  sufficiently  firm,  Mr.  Wilder?" 

"Want  of  firmness  is  not  their  fault;  if  the  same  quality 
can  always  be  observed  in  administering  them,  it  is  well," 
returned  the  other,  rising  to  salute  his  superior.  "  I  have 
never  found  such  rigid  rules,  even  in 

"Even  in  what,  sir?"  demanded  the  Rover,  perceiving 
that  his  companion  hesitated. 

"I  was  about  to  say,  even  in  his  majesty's  service," 
returned  Wilder,  slightly  coloring.  "I  know  not  whether 
it  may  be  a  fault,  or  a  recommendation,  to  have  served  in  a 
king's  ship." 

"It  is  the  latter;  at  least  I,  for  one,  should  think  it  so, 
since  I  learned  my  trade  in  the  same  service." 


THE    RED    ROVER.  Ill 

"In  what  ship?"  eagerly  interrupted  Wilder. 

"  In  many,"  was  the  cold  reply.  "  But,  speaking  of  rigid 
rules,  you  will  soon  perceive  that,  in  a  service  where  there 
are  no  courts  on  shore  to  protect  us,  nor  any  sister  cruisers 
to  look  after  our  welfare,  no  small  portion  of  power  is 
necessarily  vested  in  the  commander.  You  find  my  autho- 
rity a  good  deal  extended." 

"A  little  unlimited,"  said  Wilder,  with  a  smile  that  might 
have  passed  for  ironical. 

"  I  hope  you  will  have  no  occasion  to  say  that  it  is  arbi- 
trarily executed,"  returned  the  Rover,  without  observing,  or 
perhaps  without  letting  it  appear  that  he  observed,  the  ex- 
pression of  his  companion's  countenance.  "  But  your  hour 
is  come;  you  are  at  liberty  to  land." 

The  young  man  thanked  him,  with  a  courteous  inclination 
of  the  head,  and  expressed  his  readiness  to  go.  As  they 
ascended  the  ladder  into  the  upper  cabin,  the  captain  ex- 
pressed his  regret  that  the  hour,  and  the  necessity  of  preserv- 
ing the  incognito  of  his  ship,  would  not  permit  him  to  send 
an  officer  of  his  rank  ashore  in  the  manner  he  could  wish. 

J!But  then  there  is  the  skiff  in  which  you  came  off,  still 
alongside,  and  your  own  two  stout  fellows  will  soon  twitch' 
you  to  yon  point.  Apropos  of  those  two  men,  are  they 
included  in  our  arrangements?" 

"  They  have  never  quitted  me  since  my  childhood,  and 
would  not  wish  to  do  it  now." 

"  It  is  a  singular  tie  that  unites  two  men  so  oddly  consti- 
tuted, to  one  so  different  by  habits  and  education  from 
themselves,"  returned  the  Rover,  glancing  his  eye  keenly  at 
the  other,  and  withdrawing  it  the  instant  that  he  perceived 
his  interest  in  the  answer  was  observed. 

"It  is,"  Wilder  calmly  replied;  "but,  as  we  are  all  sea- 
men, the  difference  is  not  so  great  as  one  would  at  first 
imagine.  I  will  now  join  them,  and  take  an  opportunity  to 
let  them  know  that  they  are  to  serve  in  future  under  your 
orders," 


I  1 2  THE    RED    ROVER* 

The  Rover  suffered  him  to  leave  the  cabin,  following  to 
the  quarter-deck,  with  a  careless  step,  as  if  he  had  come 
abroad  to  breathe  the  open  air  of  the  night. 

The  weather  had  not  changed,  but  it  still  continued  dark, 
though  mild.  The  same  stillness  as  before  reigned  on  the 
decks  of  the  ship;  and  nowhere,  with  a  solitary  exception, 
was  a  human  form  to  be  seen,  amid  the  collection  of  dark 
objects  that  rose  on  the  sight,  all  of  which  Wilder  well 
understood  to  be  necessary  fixtures  in  the  vessel.  The  ex- 
ception was  the  same  individual  who  had  first  received  our 
adventurer,  and  who  still  paced  the  quarter-deck,  wrapped, 
as  before,  in  a  watch-coat.  To  this  personage  the  youth 
now  addressed  himself,  announcing  his  intention  temporarily 
to  quit  the  vessel.  His  communication  was  received  with 
a  respect  that  satisfied  him  that  his  new  rank  was  already 
known,  although,  as  it  would  seem,  it  was  to  be  made  to 
succumb  to  the  superior  authority  of  the  Rover. 

"You  know,  sir,  that  no  one,  of  whatever  station,  can 
leave  the  ship  at  this  hour,  without  an  order  from  the  cap- 
tain," was  the  steady  reply. 

"So  I  presume;  but  I  have  the  order,  and  transmit  it  to 
you.  I  shall  land  in  my  own  boat." 

The  other,  seeing  a  figure  within  hearing,  which  he  well 
knew  to  be  that  of  his  commander,  waited  an  instant,  to 
ascertain  if  what  he  heard  was  true.  Finding  that  no  objec- 
tion was  made,  he  merely  indicated  the  place  where  the 
other  would  find  his  boat. 

"The  men  have  left  it!"  exclaimed  Wilder,  stepping 
back  in  surprise,  as  he  was  about  to  descend  the  vessel's 
side. 

"Have  the  rascals  run?" 

"  Sir,  they  have  not  run;  neither  are  they  rascals.  They 
are  in  this  ship,  and  must  be  found." 

The  other  waited  to  witness  the  effect  of  these  authorita- 
tive words,  too,  on  the  individual  who  still  lingered  in  the 
shadow  of  a  mast.  As  no  answer  was,  however,  given  from 


THE    RED    ROVER.  113 

that  quarter,  he  saw  the  necessity  of  obedience.  Intimating 
his  intention  to  seek  the  men,  he  passed  into  the  forward 
parts  of  the  vessel,  leaving  Wilder,  as  he  thought,  in  sole 
possession  of  the  quarter-deck.  The  latter  was,  however, 
soon  undeceived.  The  Rover  advancing  carelessly  to  his 
side,  made  an  allusion  to  the  condition  of  his  vessel,  in  order 
to  divert  the  thoughts  of  his  new  lieutenant,  who  by  his 
hurried  manner  of  pacing  the  deck,  he  saw,  was  beginning 
to  indulge  in  uneasy  meditations. 

"  A  charming  sea-boat,  Mr.  Wilder,"  he  continued,  "  and 
one  that  never  throws  a  drop  of  spray  abaft  her  mainmast. 
She  is  just  the  craft  a  seaman  loves;  easy  on  her  rigging, 
and  lively  in  a  sea.  I  call  her  the  'Dolphin,'  from  the 
manner  in  which  she  cuts  the  water;  and,  perhaps,  because 
she  has  as  many  colors  as  that  fish,  you  will  say. — Jack 
must  have  a  name  for  his  ship,  you  know,  and  I  dislike  your 
cut-throat  appellations,  your  'Spitfires,'  and  'Bloody-mur- 
ders.'" 

"  You  were  fortunate  in  finding  such  a  vessel.  Was  she 
built  to  your  orders?" 

"  Few  ships,  under  six  hundred  tons,  sail  from  these 
colonies  that  are  not  built  to  serve  my  purposes,"  returned 
the  Rover,  with  a  smile ;  as  if  he  would  cheer  his  com- 
panion by  displaying  the  mine  of  wealth  that  was  opening 
to  him,  through  the  new  connection  he  had  made. 

"  This  vessel  was  originally  built  for  his  most  faithful 
majesty;  and,  I  believe,  was  either  intended  as  a  present 
or  a  scourge  to  the  Algerines;  but — but  she  changed 
owners,  as  you  see,  and  her  fortune  is  a  little  altered; 
though  how,  or  why,  is  a  trifle  with  which  we  will  not,  just 
now,  divert  ourselves.  I  think  she  is  all  the  better  handled 
for  the  transfer.  I  have  had  her  in  port;  she  has  under- 
gone some  improvements,  and  is  now  altogether  suited  to  a 
running  trade." 

"You  then  venture,  sometimes,  inside  the  forts?" 

"  When  you  have  leisure,  my  private  journal  may  afford 
8 


114  THE    RED    ROVER. 

some  interest,"  the  other  evasively  replied.  "I  hope,  Mr. 
Wilder,  you  find  the  vessel  in  such  a  state  that  a  seaman 
need  not  blush  for  her?" 

"  Her  beauty  and  neatness  first  caught  my  eye,  and  in- 
duced me  to  make  closer  inquiries  into  her  character." 

"  You  were  quick  in  seeing  that  she  was  kept  at  a  single 
anchor!"  returned  the  other,  laughing.  "But  I  never  risk 
anything  without  a  reason ;  not  even  the  loss  of  my  ground 
tackle.  It  would  be  no  great  achievement,  for  so  warm  a 
battery  as  this  I  carry,  to  silence  yonder  apology  for  a  fort ; 
but  in  doing  it  we  might  receive  an  unfortunate  hit,  and, 
therefore,  I  keep  ready  for  an  instant  departure." 

"  It  must  be  a  little  awkward  to  fight  in  a  war  where  one 
cannot  lower  his  flag  in  any  emergency,"  said  Wilder,  more 
like  one  who  mused,  than  one  who  intended  to  express  the 
opinion  aloud. 

"The  bottom  is  always  beneath  us,"  was  the  laconic 
answer.  "  But  to  you  I  may  say,  that  I  am,  on  principle, 
tender  on  my  spars.  They  are  examined  daily,  like  the 
heels  of  a  racer;  for  it  often  happens  that  our  valor  must 
be  well  tempered  by  discretion." 

"  And  how  and  where  do  you  refit,  when  damaged  in  a 
gale,  or  in  a  fight?" 

"  Hum !  We  contrive  to  refit,  sir,  and  to  take  the  sea  again 
in  tolerable  condition." 

He  stopped;  and  Wilder,  perceiving  that  he  was  not  yet 
deemed  entitled  to  entire  confidence,  continued  silent.  In 
this  pause  the  officer  returned,  followed  by  the  black 
alone.  A  few  words  served  to  explain  the  condition  of 
Fid.  It  was  very  apparent  that  the  young  man  was  not 
only  disappointed,  but  that  he  was  deeply  mortified.  The 
frank  and  ingenuous  air;  however,  with  which  he  turned  to 
the  Rover,  to  apologize  for  the  dereliction  of  his  follower, 
satisfied  the  latter  that  he  was  far  from  suspecting  any 
improper  agency  in  bringing  about  his  awkward  condition. 

"You  know   the  character  of  seamen  too  well,  sir,"  he 


THE   RED   ROVER.  If  $ 

said,  "to  impute  this  oversight  to  my  poor  fellow  as  a 
heinous  fault.  A  better  sailor  never  lay  on  a  yard,  or 
stretched  a  ratlin,  than  Dick  Fid;  but  I  must  allow  that  he 
carries  the  quality  of  good  fellowship  to  excess." 

"  You  are  fortunate  in  having  one  man  left  you  to  pull 
the  boat  ashore,"  carelessly  returned  the  other. 

"I  am  more  than  equal  to  that  little  exertion  myself ;  nor 
do  I  like  to  separate  the  men.  With  your  permission,  the 
black  shall  be  berthed,  too,  in  the  ship  to-night." 

"  As  you  please.  Empty  hammocks  are  not  scarce  among 
us,  since  the  last  brush." 

Wilder  then  directed  the  negro  to  return  to  his  messmate, 
and  to  watch  over  him  so  long  as  he  should  be  unable  to 
look  after  himself.  The  black,  who  was  far  from  being  as 
clear-headed  as  common,  willingly  complied.  The  young 
man  then  took  leave  of  his  companions,  and  descended  into 
the  skiff.  As  he  pulled,  with  vigorous  arms,  away  from  the 
dark  ship,  his  eyes  were  cast  upward  with  a  seaman's  pleas- 
ure on  the  order  and  neatness  of  her  gear,  and  thence  they 
fell  on  the  frowning  mass  of  the  hull.  A  light-built,  com- 
pact form  was  seen  standing  on  the  heel  of  the  bowsprit, 
apparently  watching  his  movements;  and,  notwithstanding 
the  gloom  of  the  clouded  starlight,  he  was  enabled  to 
detect,  in  the  individual  who  took  so  much  apparent  interest 
in  his  proceedings,  the  person  of  the  Rover. 


CHAPTER    VIII. 

What  is  yon  gentleman  ? 

NURSE.   The  son  and  heir  of  old  Tiberio. 

JULIET.  What's  he  that  follows  there,  that  would  not  dance  ? 

NURSE.   Marry,  I  know  not. 

Romeo  and  Juliet. 

THE  sun  was  just  heaving  up  out  of  the  field  of  waters  in 
which  the  blue  islands  of  Massachusetts  lie,  when  the  in- 
habitants of  Newport  were  seen  opening  their  doors  and  win- 
dows, and  preparing  for  the  different  employments  of  the 


Il6  THE    RED    ROVER. 

day,  with  the  freshness  and  alacrity  of  people  who  had 
wisely  adhered  to  the  natural  allotments  of  time  in  seek- 
ing .  their  rests,  or  in  pursuing  their  pleasures.  The  morn- 
ing salutations  passed  cheerfully  from  one  to  another  as 
each  undid  the  slight  fastenings  of  his  shop;  and  many 
a  kind  enquiry  passed  from  one  to  the  other  concerning 
a  daughter's  fever,  or  the  rheumatism  of  some  aged  grand - 
am.  As  the  landlord  of  the  "  Foul  Anchor"  was  so  wary 
in  protecting  the  character  of  his  house  from  any  unjust 
imputations  of  unseemly  revelling,  so  was  he  among  the 
foremost  in  opening  his  doors,  to  catch  any  transient 
customer  who  might  feel  the  necessity  of  washing  away 
the  damps  of  the  past  night  with  an  invigorating  stom- 
achic. This  cordial  was  then  very  generally  taken,  in 
the  British  provinces,  under  the  various  names  of  "bitters," 
"  juleps,"  "  morning  drams,"  "  fogmatics,"  etc.,  as  the  situa- 
tion of  different  districts  appeared  to  require  particular  pre- 
ventives. The  custom  is  getting  a  little  into  disuse,  it  is 
true;  but  still  it  retains  much  of  that  sacred  character  which 
is  the  consequence  of  antiquity.  It  is  not  a  little  extraor- 
dinary that  this  venerable  and  laudable  practice  of  wash- 
ing away  the  unwholesome  impurities  engendered  in  the 
human  system,  at  a  time  when,  as  it  is  entirely  without  any 
moral  protector,  it  is  left  exposed  to  the  attacks  of  all  the 
evils  to  which  flesh  is  heir,  should  subject  the  American 
to  the  witticisms  of  his  European  brother.  We  are  not 
among  the  least  grateful  to  those  foreign  philanthropists  who 
take  so  deep  an  interest  in  our  welfare  as  seldom  to  let  any 
republican  foible  pass  without  applying  to  it,  as  it  merits, 
the  caustic  application  of  their  purifying  monarchical  pens. 
We  are,  perhaps,  the  more  sensible  of  this  generosity,  be- 
cause we  have  had  occasion  to  witness,  that  so  great  is  their 
zeal  in  behalf  of  our  infant  States,  (robust,  and  a  little 
unmanageable,  perhaps,  but  still  infant,)  they  are  wont,  in 
the  warmth  of  their  ardor  to  reform  Cis-atlantic  sins,  to 
overlook  some  of  their  own  backslidings.  Numberless  are 


THE    RED    ROVER.  1 1  7 

the  moral  missionaries  that  the  mother-country,  for  instance, 
has  sent  among  us,  on  these  pious  and  benevolent  errands. 
We  can  only  regret  that  their  efforts  have  been  crowned 
with  so  little  success.  It  was  our  fortune  to  be  familiarly 
acquainted  with  one  of  these  worthies,  who  never  lost  an 
opportunity  of  declaiming,  above  all,  against  the  infamy  of 
the  particular  practice  to  which  we  have  just  alluded.  The 
ground  he  took  was  so  broad,  that  he  held  it  to  be  not  only 
immoral,  but,  what  was  hideous,  it  was  ungenteel,  to  swallow 
anything  stronger  than  small  beer  before  the  hour  allotted 
to  dinner.  After  that  important  period,  it  was  not  only  per- 
mitted to  assuage  the  previous  mortifications  of  the  flesh, 
but,  so  liberal  did  he  show  himself  in  the  indulgence,  after 
the  clock  had  settled  the  point  of  orthodoxy,  that  he  was 
regularly  carried  to  bed  at  midnight,  from  which  he  as  regu- 
larly issued,  in  the  course  of  the  following  morning,  to  dis- 
course again  on  the  deformities  of  premature  drunkenness. 
And  here  we  would  take  occasion  to  say  that,  as  to  our  own 
insignificant  person,  we  eschew  the  abomination  altogether; 
and  only  regret  that  those  of  the  two  nations  who  find 
pleasure  in  the  practice  could  not  come  to  some  amicable 
understanding  as  to  the  precise  period  of  the  twenty-four 
hours  when  it  is  permitted  to  such  Christian  gentlemen  as 
speak  English  to  steep  their  senses  in  liquor,  without  bring- 
ing scandal  on  good  breeding.  That  the  negotiators  who 
formed  the  last  treaty  of  amity  should  have  overlooked  this 
important  moral  topic,  is  another  evidence  that  both  parties 
were  so  tired  of  an  unprofitable  war  as  to  patch  up  a  peace 
in  a  hurry.  It  is  not  too  late  to  name  a  commission  for  this 
purpose;  and,  in  order  that  the  question  may  be  fairly 
treated  on  its  merits,  we  presume  to  suggest  to  the  Executive 
the  propriety  of  nominating,  as  our  commissioner,  some 
confirmed  advocate  of  the  system  of  "  juleps."  It  is  believed 
our  worthy  and  indulgent  mother  can  have  no  difficulty  in 
selecting  a  suitable  coadjutor  from  the  ranks  of  her  numer- 
ous and  well-trained  diplomatic  corps. 


I  1 8  THE    RED    ROVER. 

With  this  manifestation  of  our  personal  liberality,  united 
to  so  much  interest  in  the  proper,  and,  we  hope,  final,  dispo- 
sition of  this  important  question,  we  may  be  permitted  to 
resume  the  narrative,  without  being  set  down  as  advocates 
for  morning  stimulants,  or  evening  intoxication;  which  is  a 
very  just  division  of  the  whole  subject,  as  we  believe,  from 
an  observation  that  is  far  from  being  limited. 

The  landlord  of  the  "  Foul  Anchor,"  as  has  just  been 
said,  was  early  a-foot,  to  gain  an  honest  penny  from  any  of 
the  supporters  of  the  former  system  who  might  chance  to 
select  his  bar  for  their  morning  sacrifices  to  Bacchus,  in 
preference  to  that  of  his  neighbor,  he  who  endeavored  to 
entice  the  lieges  by  exhibiting  a  red-faced  man  in  a  scarlet 
coat,  that  was  called  the  "  Head  of  George  the  Second." 
The  activity  of  the  alert  publican  did  not  go  without  its 
reward.  The  tide  of  custom  set  strongly,  for  the  first  half- 
hour,  towards  the  haven  of  his  hospitable  bar;  nor  did  he 
appear  entirely  to  abandon  the  hopes  of  a  further  influx, 
even  after  the  usual  period  of  such  arrivals  began  to  pass 
away.  Finding,  however,  that  his  customers  were  beginning 
to  depart  on  their  several  pursuits,  he  left  his  station,  and 
appeared  at  the  outer  door,  with  a  hand  in  each  pocket,  as 
if  he  found  a  secret  pleasure  in  the  jingling  of  their  new 
tenants.  A  stranger,  who  had  not  entered  with  the  others, 
and  who,  of  course,  had  not  partaken  of  the  customary 
libations,  was  standing  at  a  little  distance,  with  a  hand 
thrust  into  the  bosom  of  his  vest,  apparently  more  occupied 
with  his  own  reflections  than  with  the  success  of  the  publi- 
can. This  figure  caught  the  understanding  eye  of  the  latter, 
who  conceived  that  no  man,  who  had  recourse  to  the  proper 
morning  stimulants,  could  wear  so  meditative  a  face  at  that 
early  period  in  the  cares  of  the  day,  and  that,  consequently, 
something  was  yet  to  be  gained  by  open  ing  a  communication 
between  them. 

*» 

"A  clean  air,  this,  friend,  to  brush  away  the  damps  of 
the  night,"  he  said,  snuffing  the  really  delicious  and  in 


THE    RED    ROVER.  IIQ 

vigorating  breathings  of  a  fine  October  morning.  "  It  is 
such  purifiers  as  this  that  give  our  island  its  character,  and 
make  it,  perhaps,  the  very  healthiest,  as  it  is  universally 
admitted  to  be  the  beautifulest  spot  in  creation. — A  stranger 
here,  'tis  likely?" 

"  But  quite  lately  arrived,  sir,"  was  the  reply. 

"  A  seafaring  man, by  your  dress?  and  one  in  search  of  a 
ship,  as  I  am  ready  to  qualify  to?"  continued  the  publican, 
chuckling  at  his  own  penetration.  "We  have  many  such 
that  pass  hereaway ;  but  people  mustn't  think,  because  New- 
port is  so  flourishing,  that  berths  can  always  be  had  for  the 
asking.  Have  you  tried  your  luck  in  the  capital  of  the 
Bay-province?" 

"  I  left  Boston  no  later  than  the  day  before  yesterday." 

"What!  couldn't  the  proud  townsfolk*  find  you  a  ship? 
Ay,  they  are  a  mighty  people  at  talking,  and  it  isn't  often 
that  they  put  their  candle  under  the  bushel ;  and  yet  there 
are  what  I  call  good  judges,  who  think  Narragansett  Bay 
is  in  a  fair  way,  shortly,  to  count  as  many  sails  as  Massa- 
chusetts. Yonder  is  a  wholesome  brig,  that  is  going,  within 
the  week,  to  turn  her  horses  into  rum  and  sugar;  and  here 
is  a  ship  that  hauled  into  the  stream  no  longer  ago  than 
yesterday  sundown.  That  is  a  noble  vessel,  and  her  cabins 
are  fit  for  a  prince!  She'll  be  off  with  the  change  of  the 
wind ;  and  I  dare  say  a  good  hand  wouldn't  go  a-begging 
aboard  her  just  now.  Then,  there  is  a  slaver,  off  the  fort, 
if  you  like  a  cargo  of  wool-heads  for  your  money." 

"  Is  it  thought  the  ship  in  the  inner  harbor  will  sail  with 
the  first  wind?"  demanded  the  stranger. 

"  It  is,  downright.  My  wife  is  a  full  cousin  to  the  wife 
of  the  collector's  clerk;  and  I  have  it  quite  straight  that  the 
papers  are  ready,  and  that  nothing  but  the  wind  detains 
them.  I  keep  some  short  scores,  you  know,  friend,  with  the 

*  Boston  was  called  the  town  of  Boston,  not  being  incorporated  as  a  city,  until  a 
period  comparatively  recent.  The  government  was  that  of  a  "  town  "  until  it  had 
more  than  fifty  thousand  inhabitants. 


I2O  THE    RED    ROVER. 

blue-jackets,  and  it  behooves  an  honest  man  to  look  to  his 
interests  in  these  hard  times.  Yes,  there  she  lies;  a  well- 
known  ship,  the  'Royal  Caroline.'  She  makes  a  regular 
v'yage  once  a  year  between  the  provinces  and  Bristol,  touch- 
ing here  out  and  home  to  give  us  certain  supplies,  and  to 
wood  and  water ;  and  then  she  goes  home,  or  to  the  Caro- 
linas,  as  the  case  may  be." 

"  Pray,  sir,  has  she  much  of  an  armament?"  continued 
the  stranger,  who  began  to  lose  his  thoughtful  air,  in  the 
more  evident  interest  he  was  beginning  to  take  in  the  dis- 
course. 

"Yes,  yes;  she  is  not  without  a  few  bulldogs,  to  bark  in 
defence  of  her  own  rights,  and  to  say  a  word  in  support  of 
his  majesty's  honor,  too,  God  bless  him ! — Judy !  you  Jude !" 
he  shouted,  at  the  top  of  his  voice,  to  a  negro  girl  who  was 
gathering  kindling-wood  among  the  chips  of  a  shipyard, 
"  scamper  over  to  neighbor  Homespun's,  and  rattle  away  at 
his  bedroom  windows;  the  man  has  overslept  himself:  it 
is  not  common  to  hear  seven  o'clock  strike,  and  the  thirsty 
tailor  not  appear  for  his  bitters." 

A  short  cessation  took  place  in  the  dialogue,  while  the 
wench  was  executing  her  master's  orders.  The  summons 
produced  no  other  effect  than  to  draw  a  shrill  reply  from 
Desire,  whose  voice  penetrated  through  the  thin  board  cov- 
erings .of  the  little  dwelling  as  readily  as  sound  would  be 
conveyed  through  a  sieve.  In  another  moment  a  window 
was  opened,  and  the  worthy  housewife  thrust  her  disturbed 
visage  into  the  fresh  air  of  the  morning. 

"What  next!  what  next!"  demanded  the  offended,  and, 
as  she  was  fain  to  believe,  neglected  wife,  under  the  impres- 
sion that  it  was  her  truant  husband  making  a  tardy  return 
to  his  domestic  allegiance,  who  had  thus  'presumed  to  dis- 
turb her  slumbers.  "  Is  it  not  enough  that  you  have  eloped 
from  my  bed  and  board,  for  a  whole  night,  but  you  must 
break  in  on  the  natural  rest  of  a  whole  family,  seven  blessed 
children,  without  counting  their  mother?  0,  Hector! 


THE    RED    ROVER.  121 

Hector!  an  example  are  you  getting  to  be  to  the  young  and 
giddy,  and  a  warning  will  you  yet  prove  to  the  unthought- 
ful!" 

"  Bring  hither  the  black  book,"  said  the  publican  to  his 
wife,  who  had  been  drawn  to  a  window  by  the  lamentations 
of  Desire ;  "  I  think  the  woman  said  something  about  start- 
ing on  a  journey  between  two  days;  if  such  has  been  the 
philosophy  of  the  good  man,  it  behooves  honest  people  to 
look  into  their  accounts.  Ay,  as  I  live,  'Keziah,  you  have 
let  the  limping  beggar  get  seventeen  and  sixpence  into 
arrears,  and  that  for  such  trifles  as  morning-drams,  and 
nightcaps!" 

"  You  are  wrathy,  friendv  without  reason ;  the  man  has 
made  a  garment  for  the  boy  at  school,  and  found  the — 

"  Hush,  good  woman,"  interrupted  her  husband,  returning 
the  book,  and  making  a  sign  for  her  to  retire ;  "  I  dare  say 
it  will  all  come  round  in  proper  time,  and  the  less  noise  we 
make  about  the  backslidings  of  a  neighbor,  the  less  will  be 
said  of  our  own  transgressions.  A  worthy  and  hard-work^ 
ing  mechanic,  sir,"  he  continued,  addressing  the  stranger: 
"but  a  man  who  could  never  get  the  sun  to  shine  in  at  his 
windows,  though,  Heaven  knows,  the  glass  is  none  too  thick 
for  such  a  blessing." 

"  And  do  you  imagine,  on  evidence  as  slight  as  this  we 
have  seen,  that  such  a  man  has  actually  absconded?" 

"Why,  it  is  a  calamity  that  has  befallen  his  betters!" 
returned  the  publican,  interlocking  his  fingers  across  the 
rotundity  of  his  person,  with  an  air  of  grave  consideration. 
"We  innkeepers,  who  live  as  it  were  in  plain  sight  of  every 
man's  secrets — for  it  is  after  a  visit  to  us  that  one  is  most 
apt  to  open  his  heart — should  know  something  of  the 
affairs  of  a  neighborhood.  If  the  good  man  Homespun 
could  smooth  down  the  temper  of  his  companion  as  easily 
as  he  lays  a  seam  in  its  place,  the  thing  might  not  occur, 
but Do  you  drink  this  morning,  sir?" 

"  A  drop  of  your  best." 


122  THE    RED    ROVER. 

"As  I  was  saying,"  continued  the  other,  furnishing  his 
customer  according  to  his  desire,  "  if  a  tailor's  goose  would 
take  the  wrinkles  out  of  the  ruffled  temper  of  a  woman,  as  it 
does  out  of  the  cloth,  and  then,  if  after  it  had  done  this 
task,  a  man  might  eat  it,  as  he  would  yonder  bird  hanging 

behind  my  bar Perhaps  you  will  have  occasion  to  make 

your  dinner  with  us,  too,  sir?" 

"  I  cannot  say  I  shall  not,"  returned  the  stranger,  paying 
for  the  dram  he  had  barely  tasted ;  "  it  greatly  depends  on 
the  result  of  my  inquiries  concerning  the  different  vessels 
in  the  port." 

"Then  would  I,  though  perfectly  disinterested,  as  you 
know,  sir,  recommend  you  to  make  this  house  your  home, 
while  you  sojourn  in  the  town.  It  is  the  resort  of  most  of 
the  seafaring  men ;  and  I  may  say  this  much  of  myself, 
without  conceit — no  man  can  tell  you  more  of  what  you 
want  to  know,  than  the  landlord  of  the  'Foul  Anchor.' ': 

"You  advise  an  application  to  the  commander  of  this 
vessel  in  the  stream,  for  a  berth:  will  she  sail  so  soon  as 
you  have  named?" 

"  With  the  first  wind.  I  know  the  whole  history  of  the 
ship,  from  the  day  they  laid  the  blocks  for  her  keel,  to  the 
minute  when  she  let  her  anchor  go  where  you  now  see  her. 
The  great  southern  heiress,  General  Grayson's  fine  daughter, 
is  to  be  a  passenger;  she,  and  her  over-looker,  government- 
lady,  I  believe  they  call  her — a  Mrs.  Wyllys — are  waiting 
for  the  signal,  up  here,  at  the  residence  of  Madam  de  Lacey ; 
she  that  is  the  relict  of  the  rear  admiral  of  that  name,  who 
is  full  sister  to  the  general,  and,  therefore,  an  aunt  to  the 
young  lady,  according  to  my  reckoning.  Many  people  think 
the  two  fortunes  will  go  together;  in  which  case,  he  will  be 
not  only  a  lucky  man,  but  a  rich  one,  who  gets  Miss  Getty 
Gray  son  for  a  wife." 

The  stranger,  who  had  maintained  rather  an  indifferent 
manner  during  the  close  of  the  foregoing  dialogue,  appeared 
now  disposed  to  enter  into  it,  with  a  degree  of  interest 


THE    RED    ROVER.  123 

suited  to  the  sex  and  condition  of  the  present  subject  of 
their  discourse.  After  waiting  to  catch  the  last  syllable 
that  the  publican  chose  to  expend  his  breath  on,  he  de- 
manded, a  little  abruptly: 

"  And  you  say  the  house  near  us,  on  the  rising  ground,  is 
the  residence  of  Mrs.  de  Lacey?" 

"  If  I  did,  I  know  nothing  of  the  matter.  By  'up  here,'  I 
mean  half  a  mile  off.  It  is  a  place  fit  for  a  lady  of  her 
quality,  and  none  of  your  elbowy  dwellings,  like  these 
crowded  about  us.  One  may  easily  tell  the  house,  by  its 
pretty  blinds  and  its  shades.  I'll  engage  there  are  no  such 
shades  in  all  Europe,  as  the  very  trees  that  stand  before  the 
door  of  Madam  de  Lacey." 

"It  is  very  probable,"  muttered  the  stranger,  who,  not 
appearing  quite  as  sensitive  in  his  provincial  admiration  as 
the  publican,  had  already  relapsed  into  his  former  musing 
air.  Instead  of  pushing  the  discourse,  he  suddenly  turned 
the  subject,  by  making  some  commonplace  remark;  and 
then,  repeating  the  probability  of  his  being  obliged  to  re- 
turn, he  walked  deliberately  away,  taking  the  direction  of 
the  residence  of  Mrs.  de  Lacey.  The  observing  publican 
would,  probably,  have  found  sufficient  matter  for  observa- 
tion in  this  abrupt  termination  of  the  interview,  had  not 
Desire,  at  that  precise  moment,  broken  out  of  her  habitation, 
and  diverted  his  attention,  by  the  peculiarly  lively  manner 
in  which  she  delineated  the  character  of  her  delinquent 
husband. 

The  reader  has  probably,  ere  this,  suspected  that  the  in- 
dividual who  had  conferred  with  the  publican,  as  a  stranger, 
was  not  unknown  to  himself.  It  was,  in  truth,  no  other  than 
Wilder.  But,  in  the  completion  of  his  own  secret  purposes, 
the  young  mariner  left  the  wordy  war  in  his  rear;  and,  turn- 
ing up  the  gentle  ascent,  against  the  side  of  which  the  town 
is  built,  he  proceeded  toward  the  suburbs. 

It  was  not  difficult  to  distinguish  the  house  he  sought, 
among  a  dozen  other  similar  retreats,  by  its  "shades,"  as 


124  THE    RED    ROVER. 

the  innkeeper,  in  conformity  with  a  provincial  use  of  the 
word,  had  termed  a  few  really  noble  elms  that  grew  in  the 
little  court  before  its  door.  In  order,  however,  to  assure 
himself  that  he  was  right,  he  confirmed  his  surmises  by  ac- 
tual inquiry,  and  continued  thoughtfully  on  his  path. 

The  morning  had,  by  this  time,  fairly  opened,  with  every 
appearance  of  another  of  those  fine,  bland,  autumnal  days 
for  which  the  climate  is,  or  ought  to  be,  so  distinguished. 
The  little  air  there  was  came  from  the  south,  fanning  the 
face  of  our  adventurer,  as  he  occasionally  paused  in  his 
ascent,  to  gaze  at  the  different  vessels  in  the  harbor,  like  a 
mild  breeze  in  June.  In  short,  it  was  just  such  a  time  as 
one  who  is  fond  of  strolling  in  the  fields  is  apt  to  seize  on 
with  rapture,  and  which  a  seaman  sets  down  as  a  day  lost  in 
his  reckoning. 

Wilder  was  first  drawn  from  his  musings  by  the  sound  of 
a  dialogue  that  came  from  persons  who  were  evidently  ap- 
proaching. There  was  one  voice,  in  particular,  that  caused 
his  blood  to  thrill,  he  knew  not  why,  and  which  appeared, 
unaccountably  even  to  himself,  to  set  in  motion  every  latent 
faculty  of  his  system.  Profiting  by  the  formation  of  the 
ground,  he  sprang  unseen  up  a  little  bank,  and  approaching 
an  angle  in  a  low  wall,  he  found  himself  in  the  immediate 
proximity  of  the  speakers. 

The  wall  enclosed  the  garden  and  pleasure-grounds  of  a 
mansion,  that  he  now  perceived  was  the  residence  of  Mrs. 
de  Lacey.  A  rustic  summer-house,  which  in  the  proper 
season  had  been  nearly  buried  in  leaves  and  flowers,  stood 
at  no  great  distance  from  the  road.  By  its  elevation  and 
position  it  commanded  a  view  of  the  town,  the  harbor,  the 
isles  of  Massachusetts  to  the  east,  those  of  the  Providence 
Plantations  to  the  west,  and  to  the  south  an  illimitable  ex- 
panse of  ocean.  As  it  had  now  lost  its  leafy  covering,  there 
was  no  difficulty  in  looking  directly  into  its  centre,  through 
the  rude  pillars  which  supported  its  little  dome.  Here 
Wilder  discovered  the  very  party  of  whose  conversation  he 


THE   RED    ROVER.  125 

had  been  a  listener  the  previous  day,  while  caged  with  the 
Rover,  in  the  loft  of  the  ruin.  Though  the  admiral's  widow 
and  Mrs.  Wyllys  were  most  in  advance,  evidently  addressing 
some  one  who,  like  himself,  was  in  the  public  road,  the 
young  sailor  soon  detected  the  more  enticing  person  of  the 
blooming  Gertrude  in  the  background.  His  observations 
were,  however,  interrupted  by  a  reply  from  the  individual 
who  as  yet  was  unseen.  Directed  by  the  voice,  Wilder  was 
soon  enabled  to  perceive  the  person  of  a  man  in  green  old 
age,  who,  seated  on  a  stone  by  the  wayside,  appeared  to  be 
resting  his  weary  limbs,  while  he  answered  certain  interro- 
gations that  were  made  from  the  summer-house.  His  head 
was  white,  and  the  hand  which  grasped  a  long  walking-staff 
sometimes  trembled ;  but  there  was  that  in  the  costume,  the 
manner,  and  the  voice  of  the  speaker,  which  furnished 
sufficient  evidence  of  his  having  once  been  a  veteran  of  the 
sea. 

"Lord!  your  ladyship,  ma'am,"  he  said,  in  tones  that 
were  getting  tremulous,  even  while  they  retained  the  deep 
intonations  of  his  profession,  "  we  old  sea-dogs  never  stop 
to  look  into  an  almanac  to  see  which  way  the  wind  will 
come  after  the  next  thaw,  before  we  put  to  sea.  It  is  enough 
for  us,  that  the  sailing  orders  are  aboard,  and  that  the  cap- 
tain has  taken  leave  of  his  lady." 

"Ah!  the  very  words  of  the  poor  lamented  admiral!"  ex- 
claimed Mrs.  de  Lacey,  who  had  great  satisfaction  in  pursu- 
ing the  discourse  with  a  superannuated  mariner.  "And 
then  you  are  of  opinion,  honest  friend,  that  when  a  ship  is 
ready  she  should  sail,  whether  the  wind  is " 

"Here  is  another  follower  of  the  sea,  opportunely  come 
to  lend  us  his  advice,"  interrupted  Gertrude,  with  a  hurried 
air,  as  if  to  divert  the  attention  of  her  aunt  from  something 
very  like  a  dogmatic  termination  of  an  argument  that  had 
just  occurred  between  her  and  Mrs.  Wyllys;  "perhaps  he 
may  serve  as  an  umpire." 

"  True,"  said  the  latter.     "  Pray,  what  do  you  think  of  the 


126  THE    RED    ROVER. 

weather  to-day,  sir?  would  it  be  profitable  to  sail  in  such  a 
time,  or  not?" 

The  young  mariner  reluctantly  withdrew  his  eyes  from 
the  blushing  Gertrude,  who,  in  her  eagerness  to  point  him 
out,  had  advanced  to  the  front,  and  was  now  shrinking  back, 
timidly,  to  the  centre  of  the  building  again,  like  one  who 
already  repented  of  her  temerity.  He  then  fastened  his 
look  on  her  who  put  the  question ;  and  so  long  and  riveted 
was  his  gaze,  that  she  saw  fit  to  repeat  it,  believing  that 
what  she  had  first  said  was  not  properly  understood. 

*'  There  is  little  faith  to  be  put  in  the  weather,  madam," 
was  the  dilatory  reply.  "A  man  has  followed  the  sea  to  but 
little  purpose  who  is  tardy  in  making  that  discovery." 

There  was  something  so  sweet  and  gentle,  at  the  same 
time  that  it  was  manly,  in  the  voice  of  Wilder,  that  the  la- 
dies, by  a  common  impulse,  were  won  to  listen.  The  neat- 
ness of  his  attire,  which,  while  it  was  strictly  professional, 
was  worn  with  an  air  of  smartness,  and  even  of  gentility, 
that  rendered  it  difficult  to  suppose  he  was  not  entitled  to 
lay  claim  to  a  higher  station  in  society  than  that  in  which 
he  actually  appeared,  aided  him  also,  in  producing  a  favor- 
able impression.  Bending  her  head,  with  a  manner  that 
was  intended  to  be  polite,  a  little  more  perhaps  in  self-re- 
spect than  out  of  consideration  to  the  other,  Mrs.  de  Lacey 
resumed  the  discourse. 

"These  ladies,"  she  said,  "are  about  to  embark  in  yon- 
der ship  for  the  province  of  Carolina,  and  we  were  consult- 
ing concerning  the  quarter  in  which  the  wind  will  probably 
blow  next.  But  in  such  a  vessel,  it  cannot  matter  much,  I 
should  think,  sir,  whether  the  wind  were  fair  or  foul." 

"  I  think  not,"  was  the  reply.  "  She  looks  to  me  like  a 
ship  that  will  not  do  much,  let  the  wind  be  as  it  may." 

"  She  has  the  reputation  of  being  a  very  fast  sailer.  Rep- 
utation !  we  know  she  is  such,  having  come  from  home  to 
the  Colonies  in  the  incredibly  short  passage  of  seven 
weeks!  But  seamen  have  their  favorites  and  prejudices,  I 


THE    RED    ROVER.  127 

believe,  like  us  poor  mortals  ashore.  You  will  therefore 
excuse  me,  if  I  ask  this  honest  veteran  for  an  opinion  on 
this  particular  point  also.  What  do  you  imagine,  friend,  to 
be  the  sailing  qualities  of  yonder  ship — she  with  the  pecu- 
liarly high  top-gallant  booms,  and  such  conspicuous  round 
tops?" 

A  smile  struggled  on  the  lip  of  Wilder,  but  he  continued 
silent.  On  the  other  hand,  the  old  mariner  arose,  appear- 
ing to  examine  the  ship  like  one  who  perfectly  compre- 
hended the  somewhat  untechnical  language  of  the  admiral's 
widow. 

"  The.  ship  in  the  inner  harbor,  your  ladyship,"  he  an- 
swered, when  his  examination  was  finished,  "  which  is,  I 
suppose,  the  vessel  that  madam  means,  is  just  such  a  ship 
as  does  a  sailor's  eye  good  to  look  at.  A  gallant  and  a  safe 
boat  she  is,  as  I  will  swear;  and  as  to  sailing,  though  she 
may  not  be  altogether  a  witch,  yet  is  she  a  fast  craft,  or  I'm 
no  judge  of  blue  water,  or  of  those  that  live  on  it." 

"  Here  is  at  once  an  extraordinary  difference  of  opinion!" 
exclaimed  Mrs.  de  Lacey.  "  I  am  glad,  however,  you  pro- 
nounce her  safe;  for,  although  seamen  love  a  fast-sailing 
vessel,  these  ladies  will  not  like  her  the  less  for  the  security. 
I  presume,  sir,  you  will  not  dispute  her  being  safe  ?  " 

"The  very  quality  I  should  most  deny,"  was  the  laconic 
answer  of  Wilder. 

"It  is  very  remarkable!  This  is  a  veteran  seaman,  sir, 
and  he  appears  to  think  differently." 

"  He  may  have  seen  more,  in  his  time,  than  myself,  mad- 
am; but  I  doubt  whether  he  can,  just  now,  see  as  well. 
This  is  a  great  distance  to  discover  the  merits  or  demerits 
of  a  ship:  I  have  been  nigher." 

"Then  you  really  think  there  is  danger  to  be  apprehended, 
sir?"  demanded  the  soft  voice  of  Gertrude,  whose  fears  had 
gotten  the  better  of  her  diffidence. 

"  I  do.  Had  I  mother,  or  sister,"  touching  his  hat,  and 
bowing  to  his  fair  interrogator,  as  he  uttered  the  latter  word 


128  THE    RED    ROVER. 

with  emphasis,  "  I  would  hesitate  to  let  her  embark  in  that 
ship.  On  my  honor,  ladies,  I  do  assure  you,  that  I  think 
this  very  vessel  in  more  danger  than  any  ship  which  has 
left,  or  probably  will  leave,  a  port  in  the  provinces  this  au- 
tumn." 

"This  is  extraordinary!"  observed  Mrs.  Wyllys.  "It  is 
not  the  character  we  have  received  of  the  vessel,  which  has 
been  greatly  exaggerated,  or  she  is  entitled  to  be  considered 
as  uncommonly  convenient  and  safe.  May  I  ask,  sir,  on 
what  circumstances  you  have  founded  this  opinion?" 

"They  are  sufficiently  plain.  She  is  too  lean  in  the 
harping  and  too  full  in  the  counter,  to  steer.  Then,  she  is 
as  wall-sided  as  a  church,  and  stows  too  much  above  the 
water-line.  Besides  this,  she  carries  no  head-sail,  but  all 
the  press  upon  her  will  be  aft,  which  will  jam  her  into  the 
wind,  and,  more  than  likely,  throw  her  back.  The  day  will 
come  when  that  ship  will  go  down  stern  foremost." 

His  auditors  listened  to  this  opinion,  which  Wilder  de- 
livered in  an  oracular  and  very  decided  manner,  with  that 
sort  of  secret  faith  and  humble  dependence,  which  the  unin- 
structed  are  very  apt  to  lend  to  those  who  are  initiated  in  the 
mysteries  of  any  imposing  profession.  Neither  of  them  had 
certainly  a  very  clear  perception  of  his  meaning;  but  there 
were  danger  and  death  in  his  very  words.  Mrs.  de  Lacey 
felt  it  incumbent  on  her  own  particular  advantages,  however, 
to  manifest  how  well  she  comprehended  the  subject. 

"These  are  certainly  very  serious  evils!"  she  gravely  re- 
joined. "  It  is  quite  unaccountable  that  my  agent  should 
have  neglected  to  mention  them.  Is  there  any  other  qual- 
ity, sir,  that  strikes  your  eye  at  this  distance,  and  which  you 
deem  alarming?*" 

"  Too  many.  You  observe  that  her  top-gallant  masts  are 
fidded  abaft;  none  of  her  lofty  sails  set  flying;  and  then, 
madam,  she  has  depended  on  bobstays  and  gammonings  for 
the  security  of  that  very  important  part  of  a  vessel,  the  bow- 
sprit." 


THE    RED   ROVER.  1 29 

"  Too  true !  too  true !"  said  Mrs.  de  Lacey,  with  a  start  of 
professional  horror.  "  These  things  had  altogether  escaped 
me;  but  I  see  them  all  plain  enough,  now  they  are  men- 
tioned. Such  neglect  is  highly  culpable;  more  especially 
to  rely  on  bobstays  and  gammonings  for  the  security  of  a 
bowsprit!  Really,  Mrs.  Wyllys,  I  can  never  consent  that 
my  niece  should  embark  in  such  a  vessel." 

The  calm  eye  of  Wyllys  had  been  fastened  on  the  counte- 
nance of  Wilder  while  he  was  speaking,  and  she  now  turned 
it  with  undisturbed  serenity  on  the  admiral's  widow. 

"  Perhaps  the  danger  has  been  a  little  magnified,"  she  ob- 
served. "  Let  us  inquire  of  this  other  seaman  what  he 
thinks  on  these  points.  And  do  you  see  all  these  serious 
dangers  to  be  apprehended,  friend,  in  trusting  ourselves,  at 
this  season  of  the  year,  in  a  passage  to  the  Carolinas, 
aboard  of  yonder  ship?" 

"Lord,  madam!"  said  the  gray-headed  mariner,  with  a 
chuckling  laugh,  "these  are  new-fashioned  faults  and  diffi- 
culties, if  they  be  faults  and  difficulties  at  all !  In  my  time, 
such  matters  were  never  heard  of ;  and  I  confess  I  am  so 
stupid  as  not  to  understand  half  the  young  gentleman  has 
been  saying." 

"  It  is  some  time,  I  fancy,  old  man,  since  you  were  last  at 
sea,"  Wilder  coolly  observed. 

"  Some  five  or  six  years  since  the  last  time,  and  fifty  since 
the  first." 

"  Then  you  do  not  see  the  same  causes  for  apprehension  ?" 
Mrs.  Wyllys  once  more  demanded. 

"  Old  and  worn  out  as  I  am,  lady,  if  her  captain  will  give 
me  a  berth  aboard  her,  I  will  thank  him  for  the  same  as  a 
favor." 

"  Misery  seeks  any  relief,"  whispered  Mrs.  de  Lacey,  be- 
stowing on  her  companions  a  significant  glance,  that  paid 
no  great  compliment  to  the  old  man's  motives.  "I  incline 
to  the  opinion  of  the  younger  seaman ;  he  supports  it  with 
substantial,  professional  reasons." 


1 30  *  THE    RED    ROVER. 

Mrs.  Wyllys  suspended  her  questions,  just  #s  long  as 
complaisance  to  the  last  speaker  seemed  to  require ;  and 
then  she  resumed  trrem  as  follows,  addressing  her  next  in- 
quiry to  Wilder. 

"  And  how  do  you  explain  this  difference  in  judgment, 
between  two  men  who  ought  both  to  be  so  well  qualified  to 
decide  correctly?" 

"I  believe  there  is  a  well-known  proverb  which  will  an- 
swer that  question,"  returned  the  young  man,  smiling:  "but 
some  allowance  must  be  made  for  the  improvements  in 
ships ;  and,  perhaps,  some  little  deference  to  the  stations  we 
have  respectively  filled  on  board  them." 

"  Both  very  true.  Still,  one  would  think  the  changes  of 
half  a  dozen  years  cannot  be  so  very  considerable,  in  a  pro- 
fession that  is  so  exceedingly  ancient." 

"  Your  pardon,  madam :  they  require  constant  practice  to 
be  known.  Now,  I  dare  say  that  yonder  worthy  old  tar  is 
ignorant  of  the  manner  in  which  a  ship,  when  pressed  by 
her  canvas,  is  made  'to  cut  the  waves  with  her  taffrail.'" " 

"Impossible!"  cried  the  admiral's  widow;  "the  young- 
est and  the  meanest  mariner  must  have  been  struck  with  the 
beauty  of  such  a  spectacle." 

"  Yes,  yes,"  returned  the  old  tar,  who  wore  the  air  of  an 
offended  man,  and  who,  probably,  had  he  been  ignorant  of 
any  part  of  his  art,  was  not  just  then  in  the  temper  to  con- 
fess it;  "  many  is  the  proud  ship  that  I  have  seen  doing  the 
very  same;  and,  as  the  lady  says,  a  grand  and  comely  sight 
it  is!" 

Wilder  was  confounded.  He  bit  his  lip,  like  one  who 
was  overreached  either  by  excessive  ignorance  or  exceeding 
cunning;  but  the  self-complacency  of  Mrs.  de  Lacey  spared 
him  the  necessity  of  an  immediate  reply. 

"It  would  have  been  an  extraordinary  circumstance, 
truly,"  she  said,  " that  a  man  should  have  grown  white- 
headed  on  the  seas,  and  never  have  been  struck  with  so 
noble  a  spectacle.  IHU  then,  my  honest  tar,  you  appear  to 


THE   RED    ROVER.  131 

be  wrong  in  overlooking  the  striking  faults  in  yonder  ship, 
which  this,  a — a — this  gentleman  has  just,  and  so  properly, 
named." 

u  I  do  not  call  them  faults,  your  ladyship.  Such  is  the 
way  my  late  brave  and  excellent  commander  always  had  his 
own  ship  rigged ;  and  I  am  bold  to  say  that  a  better  seaman, 
or  a  more  honest  man,  never  served  in  his  majesty's  fleet." 

"  And  you  have  served  the  king!  How  was  your  beloved 
commander  named?" 

"  How  should  he  be!  By  us,  who  knew  him  well,  he  was 
called  Fair-weather;  for  it  was  always  smooth  water,  and 
prosperous  times,  under  his  orders;  though  on  shore  he  was 
known  as  the  gallant  and  victorious  Rear- Admiral  de  Lacey." 

"  And  did  my  late  revered  and  skilful  husband  cause  his 
ships  to  be  rigged  in  this  manner?"  said  the  widow,  with  a 
tremor  in  her  voice  that  bespoke  how  much,  and  how  truly, 
she  was  overcome  by  surprise  and  gratified  pride. 

The  aged  tar  lifted  his  bending  frame  from  the  stone, 
gazed  wistfully  at  the  relict  of  him  he  had  just  named,  and 
bowing  low,  he  answered : 

"  If  I  have  the  honor  of  seeing  my  admiral's  lady,  it  will 
prove  a  joyful  sight  to  my  old  eyes!  Sixteen  years  did  I 
serve  in  his  own  ship,  and  five  more  in  the  same  squadron. 
I  dare  say  your  ladyship  may  have  heard  him  speak  of  the 
captain  of  the  main-top,  Bob  Bunt?" 

"  I  dare  say — I  dare  say.  He  loved  to  talk  of  those  who 
served  him  faithfully." 

"Ay,  God  bless  him,  and  make  his  memory  glorious! 
He  was  a  kind  officer,  and  one  that  never  forgot  a  friend, 
whether  his  duty  kept  him  on  a  yard  or  in  the  cabin.  He 
was  the  sailor's  friend,  that  very  same  admiral!" 

"This  is  a  grateful  man!"  said  Mrs,  de  Lacey,  wiping 
her  eyes,  "  and  I  dare  say  a  most  competent  judge  of  a  ves- 
sel. Ancl  are  you  quite  sure,  worthy  friend,  that  my  late 
revered  husband  had  all  his  ships  arranged  like  the  one  of 
which  we  have  been  talking?" 


132  THE    RED    ROVER. 

"  Very  sure,  madam ;  for  with  my  own  hands  did  I  assist 
to  rig  them." 

"Even  to  the  bobstays?" 

"  And  the  gammonings,  my  lady.  Were  the  admiral  alive 
and  here  he  would  call  yon  'a  safe  and  well-fitted  ship,'  as 
I  am  ready  to  swear." 

Mrs.  de  Lacey  turned,  with  an  air  of  great  dignity  and 
entire  decision,  to  Wilder,  as  she  continued: 

"I  have,  then,  made  a  small  mistake  in  memory,  which  is 
not  surprising,  when  one  recollects  that  he  who  taught  me 
so  much  of  the  profession  is  no  longer  here  to  continue  his 
lessons.  We  are  much  obliged  to  you,  sir,  for  your  opinion, 
but  we  must  think  that  you  have  overrated  the  danger.'' 

"On  my  honor,  madam,"  interrupted  Wilder,  laying  his 
hand  on  his  heart,  and  speaking  with  singular  emphasis,  "  I 
am  sincere  in  what  I  say.  I  do  affirm  that  I  believe  there 
will  be  great  danger  in  embarking  in  yonder  ship;  and  I 
call  heaven  to  witness,  that  in  so  saying,  I  am  actuated  by 
no  malice  to  her  commander,  her  owners,  or  any  connected 
with  her." 

"We  dare  say,  sir,  you  are  very  sincere.  We  only  think 
you  are  a  little  in  error,"  returned  the  admiral's  widow,  with 
a  commiserating,  and  what  she  intended  for  a  condescending, 
smile.  "  We  are  your  debtors  for  your  good  intentions  at 
least.  Come,  worthy  veteran,  we  must  not  part  here.  You 
will  gain  admission  by  knocking  at  my  door;  and  we  shall 
talk  further  of  these  matters." 

Then  bowing  coolly  to  Wilder,  she  led  the  way  up  the 
garden,  followed  by  her  companions.  The  step  of  Mrs.  de 
Lacey  was  proud,  like  the  tread  of  one  conscious  of  all  her 
advantages;  while  that  of  Wyllys  was  slow,  as  if  she  were 
buried  in  thought.  Gertrude  kept  close  to  the  side  of  the 
latter,  her  face  hid  beneath  the  shade  of  a  gypsy  hat. .  Wilder 
fancied  that  he  could  discover  the  stolen  and  anxious  glance 
that  she  threw  back  towards  one  who  had  excited  a  decided 
emotion  in  her  sensitive  bosom,  though  it  was  a  feeling  no 


THE    RED    ROVER.  133 

more  attractive  than  alarm.  He  lingered  until  they  were 
lost  amid  the  shrubbery.  Then,  turning  to  pour  out  his  dis- 
appointment on  his  brother  tar,  he  found  that  the  old  man 
had  made  such  good  use  of  his  time,  as  to  be  already 
within  the  gate,  most  probably  felicitating  himself  on  the 
prospect  of  reaping  the  reward  of  his  recent  adulation. 


CHAPTER   IX. 

He  ran  this  way,  and  leaped  this  orchard  wall. 

Shakespeare. 

WILDER  retired  from  the  field  like  a  defeated  man.  Acci- 
dent, or,  as  he  was  willing  to  term  it,  the  sycophancy  of  the 
old  mariner,  had  counteracted  his  own  little  artifice;  and 
he  was  now  left  without  the  remotest  chance  of  being  again 
favored  with  such  another  opportunity  of  effecting  his  pur- 
pose. We  shall  not,  at  this  period  of  the  narrative,  enter 
into  a  detail  of  the  feelings  and  policy  which  induced  our 
adventurer  to  plot  against  the  apparent  interests  of  those 
with  whom  he  had  so  recently  associated  himself;  it  is 
enough  for  our  present  object,  that  the  facts  themselves 
should  be  distinctly  set  before  the  reader. 

The  return  of  the  disappointed  young  sailor  towards  the 
town  was  moody  and  slow.  More  than  once  he  stopped  short 
in  the  descent,  and  fastened  his  eyes,  for  minutes  together, 
on  the  different  vessels  in  the  harbor.  But  in  these  fre- 
quent halts,  no  evidence  of  the  particular  interest  he  took 
in  any  one  of  the  ships  escaped  him.  Perhaps  his  gaze  at' 
the  Southern  trader  was  longer  and  more  earnest  than  at  any 
other:  though  his  eye,  at  times,  wandered  curiously,  and 
even  anxiously,  over  every  craft  that  lay  within  the  shelter 
of  the  haven. 

The  customary  hour  for  exertion  had  now  arrived  and  the 
sounds  of  labor  were  beginning  to  be  heard,  issuing  from 


134  THE  RED  ROVER. 

every  quarter  of  the  place.  The  songs  of  the  mariners  were 
rising  on  the  calm  of  the  morning,  with  their  peculiar,  long- 
drawn  intonations.  The  ship  in  the  inner  harbor  was  among 
the  first  to  furnish  this  proof  of  the  industry  of  her  people, 
and  of  her  approaching  departure.  It  was  only  as  these  move- 
ments caught  his  eye  that  Wilder  seemed  to  be  thoroughly 
awakened  from  his  abstraction,  and  to  pursue  his  observa- 
tions with  an  undivided  mind.  He  saw  the  seamen  ascend 
the  rigging,  in  that  lazy  manner  which  is  so  strongly  con- 
trasted by  their  activity  in  moments  of  need ;  and  here  and 
there  a  human  form  was  showing  itself  on  the  black  and 
ponderous  yards.  In  a  few  moments,  the  foretopsail  fell 
from  its  compact  compass  on  the  yard  into  graceful  and  care- 
less festoons.  This  the  attentive  Wilder  well  knew  was, 
among  all  trading  vessels,  the  signal  of  sailing.  In  a  few 
more  minutes,  the  lower  angles  of  this  important  sail  was 
drawn  to  the  extremities  of  the  corresponding  spar  beneath ; 
and  then  the  heavy  yard  was  seen  slowly  ascending  the  mast, 
dragging  after  it  the  opening  folds  of  the  sail,  until  the  lat- 
ter was  tightened  at  all  its  edges,  displaying  itself  in  one 
broad,  snow-white  sheet  of  canvas.  Against  this  wide 
surface  the  light  currents  of  air  fell,  and  as  often  receded ; 
the  sail  bellying  and  collapsing  in  a  manner  to  show  that, 
as  yet,  they  were  powerless.  At  this  point  the  preparations 
appeared  suspended,  as  if  the  mariners,  having  thus  invited 
the  breeze,  were  awaiting  to  see  if  their  invocation  was 
likely  to  be  attended  with  success. 

It  was  a  natural  transition  for  him  who  so  closely  ob- 
served these  indications  of  departure  in  the  ship  so  often 
'named,  to  turn  his  eyes  on  the  vessel  which  lay  without  the 
fort,  in  order  to  witness  the  effect  so  manifest  a  signal  had 
produced  in  her  also.  But  the  closest  and  the  keenest  scru- 
tiny could  detect  no  sign  of  any  bond  of  interest  between  the 
two.  While  the  former  was  making  the  movements  just 
described,  the  latter  lay  at  her  anchors,  without  the  smallest 
proof  that  man  existed  within  the  mass  of  her  black  and 


THE    RED    ROVER.  135 

inanimate  hull.  So  quiet  and  motionless  did  she  seem  that 
one  who  had  never  been  instructed  in  the  matter  might 
readily  have  believed  her  a  fixture  in  the  sea,  some  symmet- 
rical and  enormous  excrescence,  thrown  up  by  the  waves, 
with  its  mazes  of  lines  and  pointed  fingers,  or  one  of  those 
fantastic  monsters  that  are  believed  to  exist  in  the  bottom 
of  the  ocean,  darkened  by  the  fogs  and  tempests  of  ages. 
To  the  understanding  eye  of  Wilder,  however,  she  exhibited 
a  very  different  spectacle.  He  easily  saw,  through  all  this 
apparently  drowsy  quietude,  those  signs  of  readiness  which 
none  but  a  seaman  could  discover.  The  cable,  instead  of 
stretching  in  a  long  declining  line  towards  the  water,  was 
"  short,"  or  nearly  "  up  and  down,"  as  it  is  equally  termed 
in  technical  language,  just  "  scope"  enough  being  allowed 
outboard  to  resist  the  power  of  the  lively  tide  that  acted 
on  the  deep  keel  of  the  vessel.  All  her  boats  were  in  the 
water,  so  disposed  and  prepared  as  to  convince  him  they 
were  in  a  state  to  be  employed  in  towing  in  the  shortest 
possible  time.  Not  a  sail  or  a  yard  was  out  of  its  place, 
undergoing  those  repairs  and  examinations  which  the  mari- 
ner is  wont  to  .make,  when  lying  within  the  security  of  a 
suitable  haven ;  nor  was  there  a  single  rope  wanting,  amid 
the  hundreds  which  interlaced  the  blue  sky  that  formed  the 
background  of  the  picture,  that  might  be  necessary  in 
bringing  every  art  of  facilitating  motion  into  use.  In  short, 
the  vessel,  while  seeming  least  prepared,  was  most  in  a  con- 
dition to  move,  or,  if  necessary,  to  resort  to  her  means  of 
offence  and  defence.  The  boarding-nettings,  it  is  true,  were 
triced  to  the  rigging,  as  on  the  previous  day ;  but  a  sufficient 
apology  was  to  be  found  for  this  act  of  extreme  caution,  in 
the  war,  which  exposed  her  to  attacks  from  the  light  French 
cruisers,  that  so  often  ranged  from  the  islands  of  the  West 
Indies,  along  the  whole  coast  of  the  continent,  and  in  the 
position  the  ship  had  taken,  without  the  ordinary  defences 
of  the  harbor.  In  this  state,  the  vessel,  to  one  who  knew 
her  real  character,  appeared  like  some  beast  of  prey,  or 


136  TtiE   REt)    ROVER. 

venomous  reptile,  that  lay  in  an  assumed  lethargy,  to  delude 
the  unconscious  victim  within  the  limits  of  its  leap,  or  nigh 
enough  to  receive  the  deadly  blow  of  its  fangs. 

Wilder  shook  his  head,  in  a  manner  which  said  plainly 
enough  how  well  he  understood  this  treacherous  tranquillity, 
and  continued  his  walk  towards  the  town,  with  the  same 
deliberate  step  as  before.  He  had  whiled  away  many  min- 
utes unconsciously,  and  would  probably  have  lost  the  reck- 
oning of  as  many  more,  had  not  his  attention  been  suddenly 
diverted  by  a  slight  touch  on  the  shoulder.  Starting  at  this 
unexpected  diversion,  he  turned,  and  saw  that,  in  his  dila- 
tory progress,  he  had  been  overtaken  by  the  seaman  whom 
he  had  last  met  in  that  very  society  in  which  he  would  have 
given  so  much  to  have  been  included  himself. 

"  Your  young  limbs  should  carry  you  ahead,  master,"  said 
,the  latter,  when  he  had  succeeded  in  attracting  the  attention 
of  Wilder,  "  like  a  'Mudian  going  with  a  clean  full ;  and  yet 
I  have  fore-reached  upon  you  with  my  old  legs,  in  such  a 
manner  as  to  bring  us  again  within  hail." 

"  Perhaps  you  enjoy  the  extraordinary  advantage  of  'cut- 
ting the  waves  with  your  taffrail/  "  returned  Wilder  with  a 
sneer.  "  There  can  be  no  accounting  for  the  headway  one 
makes,  when  sailing  in  that  remarkable  manner." 

"  I  see,  brother,  you  are  offended  that  I  followed  your  mo- 
tions, though  in  so  doing  I  did  no  more  than  obey  a  signal 
of  your  own  setting.  Did  you  expect  an  old  sea-dog  like 
me,  who  has  stood  his  watch  so  long  in  a  flagship,  to  confess 
ignorance  in  any  matter  that  of  right  belongs  to  blue  water? 
How  the  devil  was  I  to  know  that  there  was  not  some  sort 
of  craft,  among  the  thousands  that  are  getting  into  fashion, 
which  sails  best  stern  foremost?  They  say  a  ship  is 
modelled  from  a  fish;  and,  if  such  be  the  case,  it  is  only  to 
make  one  after  the  fashion  of  a  crab,  or  an  oyster,  to  have 
the  very  thing  you  named." 

"  It  is  well,  old  man.  You  have  had  youi  reward,  I  sup- 
pose, in  a  handsome  present  from  the  admiral's  widow,  and 


THE   RED   ROVER.  137 

you  may  now  lie  by  for  a  season,  without  caring  much  as  to 
the  manner  in  which  they  build  their  ships  in  future.  Pray, 
do  you  intend  to  shape  your  course  much  further  down  this 
hill?" 

"  Until  I  get  to  the  bottom." 

"  I  am  glad  of  it,  for  it  is  my  especial  intention  to  go  up 
it  again.  As  we  say  at  sea,  when  our  conversation  is  ended, 
*A  good  time  to  you !'  r' 

The  old  seaman  laughed,  when  he  saw  the  young  man  turn 
abruptly  on  his  heel,  and  begin  to  retrace  the  very  ground 
along  which  he  had  just  before  descended. 

"Ah!,  you  have  never  sailed  with  a  rear-admiral,"  he 
said,  continuing  his  own  course  in  the  former  direction,  and 
picking  his  way  with  a  care  suited  to  his  age  and  infirmi- 
ties. "  No,  there  is  no  getting  the  finish,  even  at  sea,  with- 
out a  cruise  or  two  under  a  flag,  and  that  at  the  mizen,  too!" 

"  Intolerable  old  hypocrite,"  muttered  Wilder  between  his 
teeth.  "  The  rascal  has  seen  better  days,  and  is  now  per- 
verting his  knowledge  to  juggle  a  foolish  woman.  I  am 
well  quit  of  the  knave,  who,  I  dare  say,  has  adopted  lying 
for  his  trade,  now  labor  is  unproductive.  I  will  go  back. 
The  coast  is  quite  clear,  and  who  can  say  what  may  happen 
next?" 

Most  of  the  foregoing  paragraph  was  actually  uttered  in 
the  suppressed  manner  already  described,  while  the  rest  was 
merely  meditated,  which,  considering  the  fact  that  our  ad- 
venturer had  no  auditor,  was  quite  as  well  as  if  he  had 
spoken  it  through  a  trumpet.  The  expectation  thus  vaguely 
expressed,  however,  was  not  likely  to  be  soon  realized.  Wil- 
der sauntered  up  the  hill,  endeavoring  to  assume  the  uncon- 
cerned air  of  an  idler,  if  by  chance  his  return  should  excite 
attention ;  but  though  he  lingered  long  in  open  view  of  the 
windows  of  Mrs.  de  Lacey's  villa,  he  was  not  able  to  catch 
another  glimpse  of  its  tenants.  There  were  very  evident 
symptoms  of  the  approaching  journey,  in  the  trunks  and 
packages  that  left  the  building  for  the  town,  and  in  the  hur~ 


138  THE   RED    ROVER. 

ried  and  busy  manner  of  the  few  servants  that  he  occasion- 
ally saw;  but  it  would  seem  that  the  principal  personages 
of  the  establishment  had  withdrawn  into  the  secret  recesses 
of  the  building,  probably  for  the  very  natural  purpose  of 
confidential  communion  and  affectionate  leave-taking.  He 
was  turning,  vexed  and  disappointed,  from  his  anxious  and 
fruitless  watch,  when  he  once  more  heard  female  voices  on 
the  inner  side  of  the  low  wall  against  which  he  had  been 
leaning.  The  sounds  approached;  nor  was  it  long  before 
his  quick  ears  again  recognized  the  musical  voice  of  Ger- 
trude. 

"  It  is  tormenting  ourselves  without  sufficient  reason,  my 
dear  madam,"  she  said,  as  the  speakers  drew  sufficiently 
nigh  to  be  distinctly  overheard,  "to  allow  anything  that 
may  have  fallen  from  such  a — such  an  individual,  to  make 
the  slightest  impression." 

"  I  feel  the  justice  of  what  you  say,  my  love,"  returned 
the  mournful  voice  of  her  governess,  "  and  yet  am  I  so  weak 
as  to  be  unable  entirely  to  shake  off  a  sort  of  superstitious 
feeling  on  this  subject.  Gertrude,  would  you  not  wish  to 
see  that  youth  again?" 

"Me,  ma'am!"  exclaimed  her  ifcve,  in  a  sort  of  alarm. 
"  Why  should  you,  or  I,  wish  to  see  an  utter  stranger  again  ? 
and  one  so  low — not  low  perhaps — but  one  who  is  surely 
not  altogether  a  very  suitable  companion  for — 

"Well-born  ladies,  you  would  say.  Why  do  you  imagine 
the  young  man  to  be  so  much  our  inferior?" 

Wilder  thought  there  was  a  melody  in  the  intonations  of 
the  youthful  voice  of  the  maiden,  which  in  some  measure 
excused  the  personality,  as  she  answered: 

"  I  am  certainly  not  so  fastidious  in  my  notions  of  birth 
and  station  as  aunt  de  Lacey,"  she  said,  laughing;  "but  I 
should  forget  some  of  your  own  instructions,  dear  Mrs. 
Wyllys,  did  I  not  feel  that  education  and  manners  make  a 
sensible  difference  in  the  opinions  and  characters  of  all  us 
poor  mortals." 


THE    RED    ROVER.  139 

"  Very  true,  my  child.  But  I  confess  I  saw  or  heard 
nothing  that  induces  me  to  believe  the  young  man,  of  whom 
we  are  speaking,  either  uneducated  or  vulgar.  On  the  con- 
trary, his  language  and  pronunciation  were  those  of  a  gentle- 
man, and  his  air  was  quite  suited  to  his  utterance.  He  had 
the  frank  and  simple  manner  of  his  profession;  but  you  are 
not  now  to  learn  that  youths  of  the  first  families  in  the 
provinces,  or  even  the  kingdom,  are  often  placed  in  the  ser- 
vice of  the  marine." 

"  But  they  are  officers,  dear  madam :  this — this  individual 
wore  the  dress  of  a  common  mariner." 

"  Not  altogether.  It  was  finer  in  its  quality,  and  more 
tasteful  in  its  fashion,  than  is  customary.  I  have  known 
admirals  do  the  same  in  their  moments  of  relaxation.  Sailors 
of  condition  often  love  to  carry  about  them  the  testimonials 
of  their  profession,  without  any  of  the  trappings  of  their 
rank." 

"  You  then  think  he  was  an  officer — perhaps  in  the  king's 
service?" 

"  He  might  well  have  been  so,  though  the  fact  that  there 
is  no  cruiser  in  the  port  would  seem  to  contradict  it.  But 
it  was  not  so  trifling  a  circumstance  that  awakened  the  un- 
accountable interest  that  I  feel.  Gertrude,  my  love,  it  was 
my  fortune  to  have  been  much  with  the  seamen  in  early 
life.  I  seldom  see  one  of  that  age,  and  of  that  spirited  and 
manly  mien,  without  feeling  emotion.  But  I  tire  you;  let 
us  talk  of  other  things." 

"  Not  in  the  least,  dear  madam,"  Gertrude  hurriedly  inter- 
rupted. "  Since  you  think  the  stranger  a  gentleman,  there 
can  be  no  harm — that  is,  it  is  not  quite  so  improper,  I  be- 
lieve— to  speak  of  him.  Can  there  then  be  the  danger  he 
would  make  us  think,  in  trusting  ourselves  in  a  ship  of 
which  we  have  so  good  a  report?" 

"There  was  a  strange,  I  had  almost  said  wild,  admixture 
of  irony  and  concern  in  his  manner,  that  is  inexplicable' 
He  certainly  uttered  nonsense  part  of  the  time;  but  then  he 


I4O  THE    RED    ROVER. 

did  not  appear  to  do  it  without  a  serious  object.  Gertrude, 
you  are  not  as  familiar  with  nautical  expressions  as  myself; 
and  perhaps  you  are  ignorant  that  your  good  aunt,  in  her 
admiration  of  a  profession  that  she  has  certainly  a  right  to 
love,  sometimes  makes " 

"I  know  it — I  know  it;  at  least  I  often  think  so,"  the 
other  interrupted,  in  a  manner  which  plainly  manifested 
that  she  found  no  pleasure  in  dwelling  on  the  disagreeable 
subject.  "It  was  exceedingly  presuming,  madam,  in  a 
stranger,  however,  to  amuse  himself,  if  he  did  it,  with  so 
amiable  and  so  trivial  a  weakness,  if  indeed  weakness  it  be." 

"  It  was,"  Mrs.  Wyllys  steadily  continued;  "and  yet  he 
did  not  appear  to  me  like  one  of  those  empty  minds  that 
find  pleasure  in  exposing  the  follies  of  others.  You  may 
remember,  Gertrude,  that  yesterday,  while  at  the  ruin,  Mrs. 
de  Lacey  made  some  remarks  expressive  of  her  admiration 
of  a  ship  under  sail?" 

"  Yes,  yes,  I  remember  them,"  said  the  niece,  a  little  im- 
patiently. 

"  One  of  her  terms  was  particularly  incorrect,  as  I  happen 
to  know  from  my  own  familiarity  with  the  language  of 
sailors." 

"  I  thought  as  much  by  the  expression  of  your  eye,"  re- 
turned Gertrude;  "but— 

"  Listen,  my  love.  It  certainly  was  not  remarkable  that  a 
lady  should  make  a  trifling  error  in  the  use  of  so  peculiar  a 
language;  but  it  is  singular  that  a  seaman  himself  should 
commit  the  same  fault  in  precisely  the  same  words.  This 
the  youth  of  whom  we  are  speaking  did;  and,  what  is  no 
less  surprising,  the  old  man  assented  to  the  same,  just  as  if 
they  had  been  correctly  uttered." 

"  Perhaps,"  said  Gertrude,  in  a  low  tone,  "  they  may  have 
heard  that  attachment  to  this  description  of  conversation  is 
a  foible  of  Mrs.  de  Lacey.  I  am  sure,  after  this,  dear 
madam,  you  cannot  any  longer  consider  the  stranger  a 
gentleman  1" 


THE    RED    ROVER.  14! 

"  I  should  think  no  more  about  it,  love,  were  it  not  for  a 
feeling  I  can  neither  account  for  nor  define.  I  would  I 
could  again  see  him !" 

A  slight  exclamation  from  her  companion  interrupted  her 
words;  and,  the  next  instant,  the  subject  of  her  thoughts 
leaped  the  wall,  apparently  in  quest  of  the  rattan  that  had 
fallen  at  the  feet  of  Gertrude,  occasioning  her  alarm.  After 
apologizing  for  his  intrusion,  and  recovering  his  lost  prop- 
erty, Wilder  was  slowly  preparing  to  retire,  as  if  nothing 
had  happened.  There  was  a  softness  and  delicacy  in  his 
manner,  which  was  probably  intended  to  convince  the 
younger  of  the  ladies  that  he  was  not  entirely  without  some 
claims  to  the  title  she  had  recently  denied  him,  and  which 
was  certainly  not  without  its  effect.  The  countenance  of 
Mrs.  Wyllys  was  pale;  her  lip  quivered,  though  the  steadi- 
ness of  her  voice  proved  it  was  not  with  alarm,  and  she 
hastily  said: 

"  Remain  a  moment,  sir,  if  your  presence  is  not  required 
elsewhere.  There  is  something  so  remarkable  in  this  meet- 
ing, that  I  could  wish  to  improve  it." 

Wilder  fcowed,  and  again  faced  the  ladies  whom  he  had 
just  been  about  to  quit,  like  one  who  felt  he  had  no  right  to 
intrude  a  moment  longer  than  had  been  necessary  to  recover 
that  which  had  been  lost  by  his  pretended  awkwardness. 
When  Mrs.  Wyllys  found  that  her  wish  was  so  unexpectedly 
realized,  she  hesitated  as  to  the  manner  in  which  she  should 
next  proceed. 

"  I  have  been  thus  bold,  sir,"  she  said,  in  some  embarrass- 
ment, "on  account  of  the  opinion  you  so  lately  expressed 
concerning  the  vessel  which  now  lies  ready  to  put  to  sea,  the 
instant  she  is  favored  with  a  wind." 

"The  Royal  Caroline?"  Wilder  carelessly  replied. 

"That  is  her  name,  I  believe." 

"  I  hope,  madam,  that  nothing  which  I  have  said,"  he 
hastily  continued,  "  will  have  an  effect  to  prejudice  you 
against  the  ship.  I  will  pledge  myself  that  she  is  made  of 


142  THE    RED    ROVER. 

excellent  materials,  and  then  I  have  not  the  least  doubt  but 
she  is  very  ably  commanded." 

"  And  yet  have  you  not  hesitated  to  say,  that  you  consider 
a  passage  in  this  very  vessel  more  dangerous  than  one  in 
any  other  ship  that  will  probably  leave  a  port  of  the  prov- 
inces in  many  months  to  come." 

"  I  did,"  answered  Wilder,  with  a  manner  not  to  be  mis- 
taken. 

"Will  you  explain  your  reasons  for  this  opinion?" 

"  If  I  remember  rightly,  I  gave  them  to  the  lady  whom  I 
the  honor  to  see  an  hour  ago." 

"  That  individual,  sir,  is  no  longer  here,  neither  is  she  to 
trust  her  person  in  the  vessel.  This  young  lady  and  myself, 
with  our  attendants,  will  be  the  only  passengers." 

"  I  understood  it  so,"  returned  Wilder,  keeping  his  gaze 
riveted  on  the  speaking  countenance  of  Gertrude. 

"  And,  now  that  there  is  no  apprehension  of  any  mistake, 
may  I  ask  you  to  repeat  the  reasons  why  you  think  there 
will  be  danger  in  embarking  in  the  'Royal  Caroline'?  " 

Wilder  started,  and  even  had  the  grace  to  color,  when  he 
met  the  attentive  look  with  which  Mrs.  Wyllys  awaited  his 
answer. 

"  You  would  not  have  me  repeat,  madam,"  he  stammered, 
"what  I  have  already  said  on  the  subject?" 

"I  would  not,  sir;  once  will  suffice  for  such  an  explana- 
tion ;  still  I  am  persuaded  you  have  other  reasons  for  your 
words." 

"It  is  exceedingly  difficult  for  a  seaman  to  speak  of  ships 
in  any  other  than  technical  language,  which  must  be  the 
next  thing  to  be  unintelligible  to  one  of  your  sex.  You 
have  never  been  at  sea,  madam?" 

"  Very  often." 

"  Then  I  may  hope,  possibly,  to  make  myself  understood. 
You  must  be  conscious,  madam,  that  no  small  part  of  the 
safety  of  a  ship  depends  on  the  very  material  point  of  keep- 
ing her  right  side  uppermost:  sailors  call  it 'making  her 


THE    RED    ROVER.  143 

stand  up.J  Now,  I  need  not  say,  I  am  quite  sure,  to  a  lady 
of  your  intelligence,  that  if  the  Caroline  fall  on  her  beam 
there  will  be  imminent  hazard  to  all  on  board?" 

"  Nothing  can  be  clea'rer ;  the  same  risk  would  be  incurred 
in  any  other  vessel." 

"  Without  doubt,  if  any  other  vessel  should  trip.  But  I 
have  pursued  my  profession  for  many  years,  without  meet- 
ing with  such  a  misfortune,  but  once.  Then,  the  fastenings 
of  the  bowsprit " 

"Are  good  as  ever  came  from  the  hand  of  a  rigger,"  said 
a  voice  behind  them. 

The  whole  party  turned  and  beheld,  at  a  little  distance, 
the  old  seaman  already  introduced,  mounted  on  some  object 
on  the  other  side  of  the  wall,  against  which  he  was  very 
coolly  leaning,  and  whence  he  overlooked  the  whole  of  the 
interior  of  the  grounds. 

"  I  have  been  at  the  water-side  to  look  at  the  boat  at  the 
wish  of  Madam  de  Lacey,  the  widow  of  my  late  noble  com- 
mander and  admiral;  and_  let  other  men  think  as  they  may, 
I  am  ready  to  swear  that  the  'Royal  Caroline'  has  as  well- 
secured  a  bowsprit  as  any  ship  that  carries  the  British  flag! 
Ay,  nor  is  that  all  I  will  say  in  her  favor;  she  is  throughout 
neatly  and  lightly  sparred,  and  has  no  more  of  a  wall-side 
than  the  walls  of  yonder  church  tumble-home.  I  am  an  old 
man,  and  my  reckoning  has  got  to  the  last  leaf  of  the  log- 
book; therefore  it  is  little  interest  that  I  have,  or  can  have,  in 
this  brig  or  that  schooner;  but  this  much  I  will  say,  which  is, 
that  it  is  just  as  wicked,  and  as  little  likely  to  be  forgiven, 
to  speak  scandal  of  a  wholesome  and  stout  ship,  as  it  is  to 
talk  amiss  of  a  Christian." 

The  old  man  spoke  with  energy,  and  with  a  show  of  hon- 
est indignation,  which  did  not  fail  to  make  an  impression 
on  the  ladies,  at  the  same  time  that  it  brought  certain  un- 
grateful admonitions  to  the  conscience  of  the  understanding 
Wilder. 

"  You  perceive,  sir,"  said  Mrs.  Wyllys,  after  waiting  in 


144  THE  RED  ROVER. 

vain  for  the  reply  of  the  young  seaman,  "  that  it  is  very  pos- 
sible for  two  men,  of  equal  advantages,  to  disagree  on  a 
professional  point.  Which  am  I  to  believe?'7 

"Whichever  your  own  excellent  sense  should  tell  you  is 
most  likely  to  be  correct.  I  repeat,  and  in  a  sincerity  to 
whose  truth  I  call  Heaven  to  witness,  that  no  mother  or 
sister  of  mine  should,  with  my  consent,  embark  in  the 
Caroline." 

"  This  is  incomprehensible,"  said  Mrs.  Wyllys,  turning  to 
Gertrude,  and  speaking  only  for  her  ear.  "  My  reason  tells 
me  we  have  been  trifled  with  by  this  young  man;  and  yet 
his  protestations  are  so  earnest,  and  apparently  so  sincere, 
that  I  cannot  shake  off  the  impression  they  have  made.  To 
which  of  the  two,  my  love,  do  you  feel  most  inclined  to 
yield  credence ?" 

"  You  know  how  very  ignorant  I  am,  dear  madam,  of  all 
these  things,"  said  Gertrude,  dropping  her  eyes  to  the  faded 
sprig  she  was  plucking:  "but  to  me  that  old  wretch  has  a 
very  presuming  and  vicious  look." 

"You  then  think  the  younger  most  entitled  to  belief?" 

"Why  not,  since  you  think  he  is  a  gentleman?" 

"  I  know  not  that  his  superior  situation  in  life  entitles  him 
to  greater  credit.  Men  often  obtain  such  advantages  to 
abuse  them.— I  am  afraid,  sir,"  continued  Mrs.  Wyllys,  turn- 
ing to  the  expecting  Wilder,  "that,  unless  you  see  fit  to  be 
more  frank,  we  shall  be  compelled  to  refuse  you  our  faith, 
and  must  persevere  in  the  intention  to  profit  by  the  op- 
portunity of  the  '  Royal  Caroline'  to  get  to  the  Caro- 
linas." 

"  From  the  bottom  of  my  heart,  madam,  I  regret  this  de- 
termination." 

"  It  may  still  be  in  your  power  to  change  it,  by  being  ex- 
plicit." 

Wilder  appeared  to  muse;  once  or  twice  his  lips  moved, 
.as  if  he  were  about  to  speak.  Mrs.  Wyllys  and  Gertrude 
awaited  his  intentions  with  evident  interest;  but,  after  a 


THE   RED    ROVER.  145 

long  and  seemingly  hesitating  pause,  he  disappointed  both, 
by  saying: 

"  I  am  sorry  that  I  have  not  the  ability  to  make  myself 
better  understood.  It  can  only  be  the  fault  of  my  dulness; 
for  I  again  affirm  that  the  danger  is  as  apparent  to  my  eyes 
as  the  sun  at  noonday." 

"  Then  we  must  continue  blind,  sir,"  returned  Mrs.  Wyl- 
lys,  with  a  cold  salute.  "  I  thank  you  for  your  good  inten- 
tions; but  you  cannot  blame  us  for  not  consenting  to  follow 
advice  which  is  buried  in  so  much  obscurity.  Although  in 
our  own  grounds,  we  shall  be  pardoned  the  rudeness  of 
leaving  you.  The  hour  appointed  for  our  departure  has  ar- 
rived." 

Wilder  returned  the  grave  bow  of  Mrs.  Wyllys,  with  one 
quite  as  formal  as  her  own,  though  he  bent  with  greater 
grace,  and  with  more  cordiality,  to  the  deep  hurried  courtesy 
of  Gertrude  Grayson.  He  remained  in  the  precise  spot  in 
which  they  left  him,  until  he  saw  them  enter  the  villa;  and 
he  even  fancied  he  could  catch  the  anxious  expression  of 
another  timid  glance  which  the  latter  threw  in  his  direction, 
as  her  light  form  appeared  to  float  from  before  his  sight. 
Placing  one  hand  on  the  wall,  the  young  sailor  then  leaped 
into  the  highway.  As  his  feet  struck  the  ground,  the  slight 
shock  seemed  to  awake  him  from  his  abstraction,  and  he  be- 
came conscious  that  he  stood  within  six  feet  of  the  old 
mariner,  who  had  now  twice  stepped  so  rudely  between  him 
and  the  object  he  had  so  much  at  heart.  The  latter  did  not 
allow  him  time  to  give  utterance  to  his  disappointment,  for 
he  was  the  first  himself  to  speak. 

"  Come,  brother,"  he  said,  in  friendly,  confidential  tones, 
and  shaking  his  head,  like  one  who  wished  to  show  to  his 
companion  that  he  was  aware  of  the  deception  he  had  at- 
tempted to  practise;  "come,  brother,  you  have  stood  far 
enough  on  this  tack,  and  it  is  time  to  try  another.  I've  been 
young  myself  in  my  time,  and  I  know  what  a  hard  matter  it 
is  to  give  the  devil  a  wide  berth,  when  there  is  fun  to  be 
10 


146  THE    RED    ROVER. 

found  in  sailing  in  his  company.  But  old  age  brings  us  to 
our  reckonings;  and  when  life  is  getting  on  short  allowance 
with  a  poor  fellow,  he  begins  to  think  of  being  sparing  with 
his  tricks,  just  as  water  is  saved  in  a  ship  when  the  calms  set 
in,  after  it  has  been  spilt  about  decks  like  rain,  for  weeks 
and  months  on  end.  Thought  comes  with  gray  hairs,  and 
no  one  is  the  worse  for  providing  a  little  of  it  among  his 
other  small  stores." 

"  I  had  hoped,  when  I  gave  you  the.  bottom  of  the  hill, 
and  took  the  top  myself,"  returned  Wilder,  without  even 
deigning  to  look  at  his  disagreeable  companion,  "that  we 
had  parted  company  forever.  As  you  seem,  however,  to 
prefer  the  high  ground,  I  leave  you  to  enjoy  it  at  your  leis- 
ure; I  shall  now  descend  into  the  town." 

The  old  man  shuffled  after  him,  with  a  gait  that  rendered 
it  difficult  for  Wilder,  who  was  by  this  time  in  a  fast  walk, 
to  outstrip  him  without  resorting  to  the  undignified  expedient 
of  actual  flight.  Vexed  alike  with  himself  and  his  tormen- 
tor, he  was  tempted  to  offer  some  violence  to  the  latter ;  and 
then,  recalled  to  his  recollection  by  the  dangerous  impulse, 
he  moderated  his  pace,  and  continued  his  route,  with  a  de- 
termination to  be  superior  to  any  emotions  that  such  a  piti- 
ful object  could  exite. 

"You  were  going  under  such  a  press  of  sail,  young 
master,"  said  the  stubborn  old  mariner,  who  still  kept  a 
pace  or  two  in  his  rear,  "that  I  had  to  set  everything  to 
hold  way  with  you;  but  you  now  seem  to  be  getting  reason- 
able, and  we  may  as  well  lighten  the  passage  by  a  little  profit- 
able talk.  You  had  nearly  made  the  oldish  lady  believe 
the  good  ship  'Royal  Caroline'  was  the  flying  Dutchman." 

"And  why  did  you  see  fit  to  undeceive  her?"  bluntly  de- 
manded Wilder. 

"Would  you  have  a  man,  who  has  followed  blue  water 
fifty  years,  scandalize  wood  and  iron  after  so  wild  a  manner? 
The  character  of  a  ship  is  as  dear  to  an  old  sea-dog  as  the 
character  of  Jiis  wife  or  his  sweetheart," 


THE   RED   ROVER. 

"Hark  ye,  friend:  you  live,  I  suppose,  like  other  people, 
by  eating  and  drinking?" 

"  A  little  of  the  first,  and  a  good  deal  of  the  last,"  re- 
turned the  other,  with  a  chuckle. 

"  And  you  get  both,  like  most  seamen,  by  hard  work,  great 
risk,  and  the  severest  exposure?" 

"  Hum!  *Making  our  money  like  horses,  and  spending  it 
like  asses!' — that  is  said  to  be  the  way  with  us  all." 

"Now,  then,  you  have  an  opportunity  of  making  some 
with  less  labor;  you  may  spend  it  to  suit  your  own  fancy. 
Will  you  engage  in  my  service  for  a  few  hours,  with  this  for 
your  bounty,  and  as  much  more  for  wages,  provided  you 
deal  honestly?" 

The  old  man  stretched  out  a  hand,  and  took  the  guinea 
which  Wilder  had  showed  over  his  shoulder  without  appear- 
ing to  deem  it  at  all  necessary  to  face  his  recruit. 

"It's  no  sham?''  said  the  latter,  stopping  to  ring  the 
metal  on  a  stone. 

"  'Tis  gold,  as  pure  as  ever  came  from  the  mint." 

The  other  very  coolly  pocketed  the  coin ;  and  then,  with 
a  certain  hardened  and  decided  way,  as  if  he  were  ready  for 
anything,  he  demanded: 

"  What  hen-roost  am  I  to  rob  for  this?" 

"  You  are  to  do  no  such  pitiful  act;  you  have  only  to  per- 
form a  little  of  that  which,  I  fancy,  you  are  no  stranger  to. 
Can  you  keep  a  false  log?" 

"Ay;  and  swear  to  it,  on  occasion.  I  understand  you. 
You  are  tired  of  twisting  the  truth  like  a  new-laid  rope,  and 
you  wish  to  turn  the  job  over  to  me." 

"  Something  so.  You  must  unsay  all  you  have  said  con- 
cerning yonder  ship;  and,  as  you  have  had  cunning  enough 
to  get  on  the  weather-side  of  Mrs.  de  Lacey,  you  must  im- 
prove your  advantage,  by  making  matters  a  little  worse  than 
I  have  represented  them  to  be.  Tell  me,  that  I  may  judge 
of  your  qualifications,  did  you,  in  truth,  ever  sail  with  the 
worthy  rear-admiral  ?" 


THE    RED    ROVER. 

"  As  I  am  an  honest  and  religious  Christian,  I  never 
heard  of  the  worthy  old  man  before  yesterday.  Oh!  you 
may  trust  me  in  these  matters!  J  am  not  likely  to  spoil  a 
history  for  want  of  facts." 

"  I  think  you  will  do.     Now  listen  to  my  plan " 

"  Stop,  worthy  messmate,"  interrupted  the  other:  "'stones 
can  hear/  they  say  on  shore;  we  sailors  know  that  the 
pumps  have  ears  on  board  a  ship:  have  you  ever  seen  such 
a  place  as  the  'Foul  Anchor'  tavern  in  this  town?" 

"  I  have  been  there." 

"  I  hope  you  like  it  well  enough  to  go  again.  Here  we 
will  part.  You  shall  haul  on  the  wind,  being  the  lightest 
sailor,  and  make  a  stretch  or  two  among  these  houses,  until 
you  are  well  to  windward  of  yonder  church.  You  will  then 
have  plain  sailing  down  upon  hearty  Joe  Joram's,  where  is 
to  be  found  as  snug  an  anchorage,  for  an  honest  trader,  as 
in  any  inn  in  the  colonies.  I  will  keep  away  down  this 
hill,  and,  considering  the  difference  in  our  rate  of  sailing, 
we  shall  not  be  long  after  one  another  in  port." 

"And  what  is  to  be  gained  by  so  much  manoeuvring? 
Can  you  listen  to  nothing  which  is  not  steeped  in  rum?" 

"  You  offend  me  by  the  word.  You  shall  see  what  it  is  to 
send  a  sober  messenger  on  your  errands,  when  the  time 
comes.  But,  suppose  we  are  seen  speaking  to  each  other  on 
the  highway — why,  as  you  are  in  such  low  repute  just  now, 
I  shall  lose  my  character  with  the  ladies  altogether." 

"There  may  be  reason  in  that.  Hasten,  then,  to  meet 
me ;  for,  as  they  spoke  of  embarking  soon,  there  is  not  a 
minute  to  lose." 

"  No  fear  of  their  breaking  ground  so  suddenly,"  returned 
the  old  man,  holding  the  palm  of  his  hand  above  his  head 
to  catch  the  wind.  "  There  is  not  yet  air  enough  to  cool  the 
burning  cheeks  of  that  young  beauty;  and,  depend  on  it, 
the  signal  will  not  be  given  to  them  until  the  sea-breeze  is 
fairly  come  in." 

Wilder  waved  his  hand,  and  stepped  lightly  along  the* 


THE    RED    ROVER.  149 

road  the  other  had  indicated  to  him,  ruminating  on  the 
figure  which  the  fresh  and  youthful  charms  of  Gertrude  had 
extorted  from  one  even  as  old  and  as  coarse  as  his  new  ally. 
His  companion  followed  his  person,  for  a  moment,  with  an 
amused  look  and  an  ironical  cast  of  the  eye;  and  then  he 
also  quickened  his  pace,  in  order  to  reach  the  place  of  ren- 
dezvous in  sufficient  season. 


CHAPTER  X. 

Forewarn  him,  that  he  use  no  scurrilous  words. 

Winter's  Tab. 

As  Wilder  approached  the  "Foul  Anchor,"  he  beheld 
every  symptom  of  a  strong  excitement  existing  within  the 
bosom  of  the  hitherto  peaceful  town.  More  than  half  the 
women,  and  perhaps  one-fourth  of  all  the  men,  within  a 
reasonable  proximity  of  that  well-known  inn,  were  assembled 
before  its  door,  listening  to  one  of  the  former  sex,  who  de- 
claimed in  tones  so  shrill  and  penetrating,  as  not  to  leave 
the  proprietors  of  the  curious  and  attentive  countenances  in 
the  outer  circle  of  the  crowd  the  smallest  rational  ground  of 
complaint  on  the  score  of  impartiality.  Our  adventurer 
hesitated,  with  the  sudden  consciousness  of  one  but  newly 
embarked  in  such  enterprises  as  that  in  which  he  had  so  re- 
cently enlisted,  when  he  first  saw  these  signs  of  commotion; 
nor  did  he  determine  to  proceed,  until  he  caught  a  glimpse 
of  his  aged  confederate,  elbowing  his  way  through  the  mass 
of  bodies  with  a  perseverance  and  an  energy  that  promised 
to  bring  him  right  speedily  into  the  very  presence  of  her 
who  uttered  such  piercing  plaints.  Encouraged  by  this  ex- 
ample, the  young  man  advanced,  but  was  content  to  take  his 
position  in  a  situation  that  left  him  entire  command  of  his 
limbs,  and,  consequently,  in  a  condition  to  make  a  timely 
retreat,  should  the  latter  measure  prove  expedient. 


I5O  THE    RED    ROVER. 

"  I  call  on  you,  Earthly  Potter,  and  you,  Preserved  Green, 
and  you,  Faithful  Wanton,"  cried  Desire,  as  he  came  within 
hearing,  pausing  to  catch  a  morsel  of  breath,  before  she 
proceeded  in  her  affecting  appeal  to  the  neighborhood; 
"  and  you  too,  Upright  Crook,  and  you  too,  Relent  Flint, 
and  you,  Wealthy  Poor,*  to  be  witnesses  and  testimonials 
in  my  behalf.  You,  and  all  and  each  of  you  can  qualify,  if 
you  will,  that  I  have  ever  been  a  slaving  and  loving  consort 
of  the  man  who  has  deserted  me  in  my  age,  leaving  so  many 
of  his  own  children  on  my  hands,  to  feed  and  to  rear,  be- 
sides  " 

"What  certainty  is  there,"  interrupted  the  landlord  of  the 
"  Full  Anchor'7  most  inopportunely,  "  that  the  good  man  has 
absconded?  It  was  a  merry  day,  the  one  that  is  just  gone, 
and  it  is  quite  in  reason  to  believe  your  husband  was,  like 
some  others  I  can  name — a  thing  I  shall  not  be  so  unwise 
as  to  do — a  little  of  what  I  call  how-come-ye-so,  and  that 
his  nap  holds  no  longer  than  common.  I'll  engage  we  shall 
all  see  the  honest  tailor  creeping  out  of  some  of  the  barns 
shortly,  as  fresh  and  as  ready  for  his  bitters  as  if  he  had  not 
wet  his  throat  with  cold  water  since  the  last  time  of  general 
rejoicing." 

A  low  but  pretty  general  laugh  followed  this  effort  of 
tavern  wit,  though  it  failed  in  exciting  even  a  smile  on  the 
disturbed  visage  of  Desire,  which,  by  its  doleful  outline, 
appeared  to  have  taken  leave  of  all  its  risible  properties  for- 
ever. 

"  Not  he,  not  he,"  exclaimed  the  disconsolate  consort  of 
the  good  man ;  "  he  has  not  the  heart  to  get  himself  coura- 
geous in  loyal  drinking,  on  such  an  occasion  as  a  merry- 
making on  account  of  his  majesty's  glory :  he  was  a  man  al- 
together for  work;  and  it  is  chiefly  for  his  hard  labor  that 
I  have  reason  to  complain.  After  being  so  long  used  to 
rely  on  his  toil,  it  is  a  sore  cross  to  a  dependent  woman,  to 

*  This  whimsical  collection  of  names  may  strike  the  reader  as  overcharged,  and  yet 
they  are  all  taken  from  the  local  history  of  Rhode  Island. 


THE    RED    ROVER.  !$! 

be  thrown  suddenly  and  altogether  on  herself  for  support. 
But  I'll  be  revenged  on  him,  if  there's  law  to  be  found  in 
Rhode  Island,  or  in  the  Providence  Plantations!  Let  him 
dare  to  keep  his  pitiful  image  out  of  my  sight  the  lawful 
time,  and  then,  when  he  returns,  he  shall  find  himself,  as 
many  a  vagabond  has  been  before  him,  without  wife,  as  he 
will  be  without  a  house  to  lay  his  graceless  head  in."  * 
Then,  catching  a  glimpse  of  the  inquiring  face  of  the  old 
seaman,  who  by  this  time  had  worked  his  way  to  her  very 
side,  she  abruptly  added :  "  Here  is  a  stranger  in  the  place, 
and  one  who  has  lately  arrived !  Did  you  meet  a  straggling 
runaway,  friend,  in  your  journey  hither?" 

"I  had  too  much  trouble  in  navigating  my  old  hulk  on 
dry  land,  to  log  the  name  and  rate  of  every  craft  I  fell  in 
with,"  returned  the  other,  with  infinite  composure;  "and 
yet,  now  you  speak  of  such  a  thing,  I  do  remember  to  have 
come  within  hail  of  a  poor  fellow,  just  about  the  beginning 
of  the  morning-watch,  somewhere  hereaway,  up  in  the 
Pushes  between  this  town  and  the  bit  of  a  ferry  that  carries 
one  on  to  the  main." 

"What  sort  of  a  man  was  he?"  demanded  five  or  six  anx- 
ious voices,  in  a  breath;  among  which  the  tones  of  Desire, 
however,  maintained  their  supremacy,  rising  above  those  of 
all  the  others  like  the  strains  of  a  first-rate  artist  flourish- 
ing a  quaver  above  the  more  modest  trills  of  the  rest  of  the 
troupe. 

"What  sort  of  a  man!  Why,  a  fellow  with  his  arms 
rigged  athwart-ship,  and  his  legs  stepped  like  those  of  all 
Christians,  to  be  sure :  but,  now  you  speak  of  it,  I  remem- 
ber that  he  had  a  bit  of  a  sheep-shank  in  one  of  his  legs, 
and  rolled  a  good  deal  as  he  went  ahead." 

*  It  would  seem,  from  this  declaration,  that  certain  legal  antiquarians,  who  have 
contended  that  the  community  is  indebted  to  Desire  for  the  unceremonious  manner  of 
clipping  the  nuptial  knot,  which  is  so  well  knowri  to  exist,  even  to  this  hour,  in  the 
community  of  which  she  was  a  member,  are  entirely  in  the  wrong.  It  evidently  did 
not  take  its  rise  in  her  example,  since  she  clearly  alludes  to  it  as  a  means  before  re- 
sorted to  by  the  injured  innocents  of  her  own  sex. 


152  THE   RED    ROVER. 

"It  was  he!"  added  the  same  chorus  of  voices.  Five  or 
six  of  the  speakers  instantly  stole  out  of  the  throng,  with 
the  intention  of  hurrying  after  the  delinquent,  in  order  to 
secure  the  payment  of  certain  small  balances  of  account,  in 
which  the  unhappy  and  much  traduced  good-man  stood  in- 
debted to  the  several  parties.  Had  we  leisure  to  record  the 
manner  in  which  these  praiseworthy  efforts  to  save  an  hon- 
est penny  were  conducted,  the  reader  might  find  much  sub- 
ject of  amusement  in  the  secret  diligence  with  which  each 
worthy  tradesman  endeavored  to  outwit  his  neighbor  on  the 
occasion,  as  well  as  in  the  cunning  subterfuges  which  were 
adopted  to  veil  their  real  designs,  when  all  met  at  the  ferry, 
deceived  and  disappointed  in  their  object.  As  Desire, 
howevver,  had  neither  legal  demand  on,  nor  hope  of  favor 
from,  her  truant  husband,  she  was  content  to  pursue,  on  the 
spot,  such  further  inquiries  in  behalf  of  the  fugitive  as  she 
saw  fit  to  make.  It  is  possible  the  pleasures  of  freedom,  in 
the  shape  of  the  contemplated  divorce,  were  already  floating 
before  her  active  mind,  with  the  soothing  perspective  of 
second  nuptials,  backed  by  the  influence  of  such  another 
picture  as  might  be  drawn  from  the  recollections  of  her  first 
love;  the  whole  having  a  manifest  tendency  to  pacify  her 
awakened  spirit,  and  to  give  a  certain  portion  of  directness 
and  energy  to  the  subsequent  interrogatories. 

"Had  he  a  thieving  look?"  she  demanded,  without  at- 
tending to  the  manner  in  which  she  was  so  suddenly  deserted 
by  all  those  who  had  just  expressed  the  strongest  sympathy 
in  her  loss.  "  Was  he  a  man  that  had  the  air  of  a  sneaking 
runaway?" 

"  As  for  his  head-piece,  I  will  not  engage  to  give  a  very 
true  account,"  returned  the  old  mariner;  "though  he  had 
the  look  of  one  who  had  been  kept,  a  good  deal  of  his  time, 
in  the  lee-scuppers.  If  I  should  give  an  opinion,  the  pool 
devil  has  had  too  much— 

"  Idle  time,  you  would  say:  yes,  yes;   it  has  been  his  mis 
fortune  to  be  out  of  work  a  good  deal  latterly,  and  wicked- 


THE    RED    ROVER.  153 

ness  has  got  into  his  head,  for  want  of  something  better  to 
think  of.  Too  much " 

"  Wife,"  interrupted  the  old  man  emphatically.  Another 
general  and  a  far  less  equivocal  laugh,  at  the  expense  of 
Desire,  succeeded  this  blunt  declaration.  Nothing  intimi- 
dated by  such  a  manifest  assent  to  the  opinion  of  the  hardy 
seaman,  the  undaunted  virago  resumed: 

"  Ah !  you  little  know  the  suffering  and  forbearance  I 
have  endured  with  the  man  in  so  many  long  years.  Had 
the  fellow  you  met  the  look  of  one  who  had  left  an  injured 
woman  behind  him?" 

"  I  can't  say  there  was  anything  about  him  which  said,  in 
so  many  words,  that  the  woman  he  had  left  at  her  moorings 
was  more  or  less  injured,"  returned  the  tar,  with  commend- 
able discrimination;  "but  there  was  enough  about  him  to 
show,  that,  however  and  wherever  he  may  have  stowed  his 
wife,  if  wife  she  was,  he  had  not  seen  fit  to  leave  all  her 
outfit  at  home.  The  man  had  plenty  of  female  toggery 
around  his  neck;  I  suppose  he  found  it  more  agreeable  than 
her  arms." 

"What!"  exclaimed  Desire,  looking  aghast;  "has  he 
dared  to  rob  me?  What  had  he  of  mine?  not  the  gold 
beads?" 

"  I'll  not  swear  they  were  gold." 

"The  villain!"  continued  the  enraged  termagant,  catch- 
ing her  breath  like  a  person  that  had  just  been  submerged 
in  water  longer  than  is, agreeable  to  human  nature,  and  forc- 
ing her  way  through  the  crowd  with  such  vigor  as  soon  to 
be  in  a  situation  to  fly  to  her  secret  hoards,  in  order  to  as- 
certain the  extent  of  her  misfortune;  "the  sacrilegious  vil- 
lain !  to  rob  the  wife  of  his  bosom,  the  mother  of  his  own 
children,  and — 

"  Well,  well,"  again  interrupted  the  landlord  of  the  "  Foul 
Anchor,"  with  his  unseasonable  voice,  "I  never  before 
heard  the  good-man  suspected  of  roguery,  though  the  neigh- 
borhood was  ever  backward  in  calling  him  chicken-hearted.'* 


154  THE   RED   ROVER. 


' 


The  old  seaman  looked  the  publican  full  in  the  face,  with 
much  meaning  in  his  eye,  as  he  answered : 

"  If  the  honest  tailor  never  robbed  any  but  that  virago, 
there  would  be  no  great  thieving  sin  to  be  laid  to  his  ac- 
count; for  every  bead  he  had  about  him  wouldn't  serve  to 
pay  his  ferryage.  I  could  carry  all  the  gold  on  his  neck  in 
my  eye,  and  see  none  the  worse  for  it.  But  it  is  a  shame  to 
stop  the  entrance  into  a  licensed  tavern  with  such  a  mob,  as 
if  it  were  an  embargoed  port;  and  so  I  have  sent  the  woman 
after  her  valuables,  and  all  the  idlers,  as  you  see,  in  her 
wake." 

Joe  Joram  gazed  on  the  speaker  like  a  man  enthralled 
by  some  mysterious  charm ;  neither  answering,  nor  altering 
the  direction  of  his  eye,  for  near  a  minute.  Then,  suddenly 
breaking  out  in  a  deep  and  powerful  laugh,  as  if  he  were 
not  backward  in  enjoying  the  artifice,  which  certainly  had 
produced  the  effect  of  removing  the  crowd  from  his  own 
door  to  that  of  the  absent  tailor,  he  flourished  his  arm  in 
the  way  of  greeting,  and  exclaimed: 

"  Welcome,  Tarry  Bob ;  welcome,  old  boy,  welcome ! 
From  what  cloud  have  you  fallen?  and  before  what  wind 
have  you  been  running,  that  Newport  is  again  your  harbor?" 

"Too  many  questions  to  be  answered  in  an  open  road- 
stead, friend  Joram ;  and  altogether  too  dry  a  subject  for  a 
husky  conversation.  When  I  am  berthed  in  one  of  your 
inner  cabins,  with  a  mug  of  flip  and  a  kid  of  good  Rhode 
Island  beef  within  grappling  distance,  why,  as  many  ques- 
tions as  you  chose,  and  as  many  answers,  you  know,  as  suits 
my  appetite." 

"And  who's  to  pay  the  piper,  honest  Bob?  whose  ship's 
purser  will  pay  your  check  now?"  continued  the  publican, 
showing  the  old  sailor  in,  however,  with  a  readiness  that 
seemed  to  contradict  the  doubt  expressed  by  his  words,  of 
any  reward  for  his  extraordinary  civility. 

"Who?"  interrupted  the  other,  displaying  the  money  so 
lately  received  from  Wilder,  in  such  a  manner  that  it  might 


THE    RED    ROVER.  155 

be  seen  by  the  few  bystanders  who  remained,  as  if  he 
would  himself  furnish  a  sufficient  apology  for  the  distin- 
guished manner  in  which  he  was  received;  "who  but  this 

o 

gentleman  ?  I  can  boast  of  being  backed  by  the  counte- 
nance of  his  sacred  majesty  himself,  God  bless  him!" 

"God  bless  him!"  echoed  several  of  the  loyal  lieges; 
and  that,  too,  in  a  place  which  has  since  heard  such  differ- 
ent cries,  and  where  the  same  words  would  now  excite 
nearly  as  much  surprise,  though  less  alarm,  than  an  earth- 
quake. 

"God  bless  him!"  repeated  Joram,  opening  the  door  of 
an  inner  room,  and  pointing  the  way  to  his  customer,  "  and 
all  that  are  favored  with  his  countenance!  Walk  in,  old 
Bob;  you  shall  soon  grapple  with  half  an  ox." 

Wilder,  who  had  approached  the  outer  door  of  the  tavern 
as  the  mob  receded,  witnessed  the  retreat  of  the  two  worthies 
into  the  recesses  of  the  house,  and  immediately  entered  the 
bar-room  himself.  While  deliberating  on  the  manner  in 
which  he  should  arrive  at  a  communication  with  his  new 
confederate,  without  attracting  too  much  attention  to  so  odd 
an  association,  the  landlord  returned  in  person  to  relieve 
him.  After  casting  a  hasty  glance  around  the  apartment, 
his  look  settled  on  our  adventurer,  whom  he  approached  in 
a  manner  half  doubting,  half  decided. 

"What  success,  sir,  in  looking  for  a  ship?"  he  demanded, 
now  recognizing,  for  the  first  time,  the  stranger  with  whom 
he  had  before  held  converse  that  morning.  "  More  hands 
than  places  to  emplo)^  them?" 

"  I  am  not  sure  it  will  so  prove.  In  my  walk  on  the  hill 
I  met  an  old  seaman,  who — 

"Hum!"  interrupted  the  publican,  with  an  intelligible, 
though  stolen,  sign  to  follow.  "  You  will  find  it  more  con- 
venient, sir,  to  take  your  breakfast  in  another  room." 
Wilder  followed  his  conductor,  who  left  the  public  apart- 
ment by  a  different  door  from  that  by  which  he  had  led  his 
other  guest  into  the  interior  of  the  house,  wondering  at  the 


156  THE    RED    ROVER. 

air  of  mystery  that  the  innkeeper  saw  fit  to  assume  on  the 
occasion.  After  leading  him  by  a  circuitous  passage,  the 
latter  showed  Wilder,  in  profound  silence,  up  a  private 
stairway  into  the  very  attic  of  the  building.  Here  he  rapped 
lightly  at  a  door,*  and  was  bid  to  enter  by  a  voice  that  caused 
our  adventurer  to  start  by  its  deepness  and  severity.  On 
finding  himself,  however,  in  a  low  and  confined  room,  he 
saw  no  other  occupant  than  the  seaman  who  had  just  been 
greeted  by  the  publican  as  an  old  acquaintance,  and  by  a 
name  to  which  he  might,  by  his  attire,  well  lay  claim  to  be 
entitled — that  of  Tarry  Bob.  While  Wilder  was  staring 
about  him,  a  good  deal  surprised  at  the  situation  in  which 
he  was  placed,  the  landlord  retired,  and  he  found  himself 
alone  with  his  confederate.  The  latter  was  already  engaged 
in  discussing  the  fragment  of  the  ox  just  mentioned,  and  in 
quaffing  of  some  liquid  that  seemed  equally  adapted  to  his 
taste,  although  sufficient  time  had  not  certainly  been  allowed 
to  prepare  the  beverage  he  had  seen  fit  to  order.  Without 
allowing  his  visitor  leisure  for  much  further  reflection,  the 
old  mariner  made  a  motion  to  him  to  take  the  only  vacant 
chair  in  the  room,  while  he  continued  his  employment  on 
the  sirloin  with  as  much  assiduity  as  if  no  interruption  had 
taken  place. 

"  Honest  Joe  Joram  always  makes  a  friend  of  his  butcher," 
he  said,  after  ending  a  draught  that  threatened  to  drain  the 
mug  to  the  bottom.  "  There  is  such  a  flavor  about  his  beef, 
that  one  might  mistake  it  for  the  fin  of  halibut.  You  have 
been  in  foreign  parts,  shipmate,  or  I  may  call  you  'mess- 
mate,' since  we  are  both  anchored  nigh  the  same  kid — but 
you  have  doubtless  been  in  foreign  countries?" 

"Often;  I  should  else  be  but  a  miserable  seaman." 
"  Then,  tell  me  frankly,  have  you  ever  been  in  the  king- 
dom that  can  furnish  such  rations — fish,  flesh,  fowl  and 
fruits — as  this  very  noble  land  of  America,  in  which  we  are 
now  both  moored  ?  and  in  which  I  suppose  we  both  of  us 
were  born?" 


THE   RED    ROVER.  157 

.  "  It  would  be  carrying  the  love  of  home  a  little  too  far,  to 
believe  in  such  universal  superiority,"  returned  Wilder, 
willing  to  divert  the  conversation  from  his  real  object,  until 
he  had  time  to  arrange  his  ideas,  and  assure  himself  he 
had  no  other  auditor  but  his  visible  companion.  "It  is 
generally  admitted  that  England  excels  us  in  all  these 
articles." 

"  By  whom  ?  by  your  know-nothings  and  bold  talkers. 
But  I,  a  man  who  has  seen  the  four  quarters  of  the  earth, 
and  no  small  part  of  the  water  besides,  give  the  lie  to  such 
empty  boasters.  We  are  colonies,  friend,  we  are  colonies; 
and  it  is  as  bold  in  a  colony  to  tell  the  mother  that  it  has 
the  advantage  in  this  or  that  particular,  as  it  would  be  in  a 
foremast  Jack  to  tell  his  officer  he  was  wrong,  though  he 
knew  it  to  be  true.  I  am  but  a  poor  man,  Mr.  —  By 
wh.it  name  may  I  call  your  honor?" 

"Me!  my  name? — Harris." 

"I  am  but  a  poor  man,  Mr.  Harris;  but  I  have  had 
charge  of  a  watch  in  my  time,  old  and  rusty  as  I  seem,  nor 
have  I  spent  so  many  long  nights  on  deck  without  keeping 
thoughts  at  work,  though  I  may  not  have  overhaul'd  as  much 
philosophy,  in  so  doing,  as  a  paid  parish  priest,  or  a  fee'd 
lawyer.  Let  me  tell  you,  it  is  a  disheartening  thing  to  be 
nothing  but  a  dweller  in  a  colony.  It  keeps  down  the  pride 
and  spirit  of  a  man,  and  lends  a  hand  in  making  him  what 
his  masters  would  be  glad  to  have  him.  I  shall  say  noth- 
ing of  fruits,  and  meats,  and  other  eatables,  that  come 
from  the  land  of  which  both  you  and  I  have  heard  and 
know  too  much,  unless  it  be  to  point  to  yonder  sun,  and 
then  to  ask  the  question,  whether  you  think  King  George 
has  the  power  to  make  it  shine  on  the  bit  of  an  island  where 
he  lives,  as  it  shines  here  on  his  broad  provinces  of 
America?" 

"Certainly  not;  and  yet  you  know  that  everyone  must 
allow  that  the  productions  of  England  are  so  very  much 
superior " 


158  THE    RED    ROVER. 

"Ay,  ay;  a  colony  always  sails  under  the  lee  of  its 
mother.  TaJk  does  it  all,  friend  Harris.  Talk,  talk,  talk; 
a  man  can  talk  himself  hue  £  J^iv  or  set  a  ship's  company 
by  the  ears.  He  can  talk  a  cherry  in^o  a  peach,  or  a 
flounder  into  a  whale.  Now  here  is  the  whole  of  this  long 
coast  of  America,  and  all  her  rivers,  and  lakes,  and  brooks, 
swarming  with  such  treasures  as  any  man  might  fatten  on; 
and  yet  his  majesty's  servants,  who  come  among  us,  talk  of 
their  turbots  and  their  sole,  and  their  carp,  as  if  the  Lord 
had  only  made  such  fish,  and  the  devil  had  let  the  others 
slip  through  his  fingers,  without  asking  leave." 

Wilder  turned  and  fastened  a  look  of  surprise  on  the  old 
man,  who  continued  to  eat,  however,  as  if  he  had  uttered 
nothing  but  what  might  be  considered  as  a  matter-of-course 
opinion. 

"  You  are  more  attached  to  your  birthplace  than  loyal, 
friend,"  said  the  young  mariner,  a  little  austerely. 

"  I  am  not  fish-loyal,  at  least.  What  the  Lord  made,  one 
may  speak  of,  I  hope,  without  offence.  As  to  the  govern- 
ment, that  is  a  rope  twisted  by  the  hands  of  man,  and 

"And  what?"  demanded  Wilder,  perceiving  that  the  other 
hesitated. 

"  Hum !  Why,  I  fancy  man  will  undo  his  own  work, 
when  he  can  find  nothing  better  to  busy  himself  in.  No 
harm  in  saying  that  either,  I  hope?" 

"  So  much,  that  I  must  call  your  attention  to  the  business 
that  has  brought  us  together.  You  have  not  so  soon  foi- 
gotten  the  earnest-money  you  received?" 

The  old  sailor  shoved  the  dish  from  before  him;  and, 
folding  his  arms,  he  looked  his  companion  full  in  the  eye, 
as  he  calmly  answered: 

"When  I  am  fairly  enlisted  in  a  service,  I  am  a  man  to 
be  counted  on.  I  hope  you  sail  under  the  same  colors, 
friend  Harris?" 

"It  would  be  dishonest  to  do  otherwise.  There  is  one 
thing  you  will  excuse — before  I  proceed  to  detail  my  plans 


THE   RED    ROVER.  159 

and  wishes,  I  must  take  occasion  to  examine  this  closet  in 
order  to  be  sure  that  we  are  actually  alone." 

"You  will  find  little  there  except  the  toggery  of  some  of 
honest  Joe's  female  gender.  As  the  door  is  not  fastened 
with  any  extraordinary  care,  you  have  only  to  look  for  your- 
self, since  seeing  is  believing." 

Wilder  did  not  seem  disposed  to  wait  for  this  permis- 
sion ;  he  opened  the  door  while  the  other  was  speaking,  and 
finding  that  the  closet  actually  contained  little  else  than  the 
articles  named  by  his  companion,  he  turned  away,  like  a 
man  who  was  disappointed. 

"  Were  you  alone  when  I  entered?"  he  demanded,  after  a 
thoughtful  pause. 

"  Honest  Joram,  and  yourself." 

"No  one  else?" 

"  None  that  I  saw,"  returned  the  other,  his  manner  be- 
traying slight  uneasiness;  "if  you  think  otherwise,  let  us 
overhaul  the  room.  Should  my  hand  fall  on  a  listener,  the 
salute  will  not  be  light." 

"Hold — answer  me  a  single  question;  who  bade  me 
enter?" 

Tarry  Bob,  who  had  risen  with  a  good  deal  of  alacrity, 
now  reflected  in  his  turn,  for  an  instant,  and  closed  his 
musing  by  indulging  in  a  low  laugh. 

"Ah!  I  see  that  you  have  got  your  ideas  a  little  jammed. 
A  man  cannot  talk  the  same,  with  a  small  portion  of  ox  in 
his  mouth,  as  if  the  tongue  had  as  much  sea-room  as  a  ship 
four-and-twenty  hours  out." 

"  Then   it  was  you." 

"  I'll  swear  to  that  much,"  returned  Bob,  resuming  his 
seat  like  one  who  had  settled  the  whole  affair  to  his  entire 
satisfaction ;  "  and  now,  friend  Harris,  if  you  are  ready  to 
lay  bare  your  mind,  I'm  just  as  ready  to  look  at  it." 

Wilder  did  not  appear  to  be  quite  as  well  content  with 
the  explanation  as  his  companion;  but  he  drew  a  chair  and 
prepared  to  open  his  subject. 


l6O  THE    RED    ROVER. 

"  I  am  not  to  tell  you,  friend,  after  what  you  have  heard 
and  seen,  that  I  have  no  very  strong  desire  that  the  lady 
with  whom  we  have  both  spoken  this  morning,  and  her  com- 
panion, should  sail  in  the  'Royal  Caroline.'  I  suppose  it  is 
enough  for  our  purposes  that  you  should  know  the  fact ;  the 
reason  why  I  prefer  they  should  remain  where  they  are,  can 
be  of  no  moment  as  to  the  duty  you  are  to  undertake." 

"  You  need  not  tell  an  old  seaman  how  to  gather  in  the 
slack  of  a  running  idea,"  cried  Bob,  chuckling  and  winking 
at  his  companion,  in  a  way  that  displeased  the  latter  by  its 
familiarity ;  "  I  have  not  lived  fifty  years  on  blue  water,  to 
mistake  it  for  the  skies." 

"You  then  fancy,  sir,  that  my  motive  is  no  secret  to 
you?" 

"  It  needs  no  spyglass  to  see  that,  while  the  old  people 
say,  'Go,'  the  young  people  would  like  to  stay  where  they 
are." 

"You  do  both  of  the  young  people  much  injustice,  then; 
until  yesterday,  I  never  laid  eyes  on  the  person  you  mean." 

"  Ah!  I  see  how  it  is;  the  owners  of  the  'Caroline'  have 
not  been  so  civil  as  they  ought,  and  you  are  paying  them  a 
small  debt  of  thanks!" 

"That  is  possibly  a  means  of  retaliation  that  might  suit 
your  taste,"  said  Wilder,  gravely;  "but  which  is  not  much 
in  accordance  with  mine.  The  whole  of  the  parties  are  utter 
strangers  to  me." 

"  Hum !  I  suppose  you  belong  to  the  vessel  in  the  outer 
harbor;  and,  though  you  don't  hate  your  enemies,  you  love 
your  friends.  We  must  contrive  the  means  to  coax  the 
ladies  to  take  passage  in  the  slaver." 

"God  forbid!" 

"  God  forbid !  Now  I  think,  friend  Harris,  you  set  up 
the  backstays  of  your  conscience  a  little  too  taut.  Though 
I  cannot,  and  do  not,  agree  with  you  in  all  you  have  said 
concerning  the  'Royal  Caroline,'  I  see  no  reason  to  doubt 
that  we  shall  have  but  one  mind  about  the  other  vessel.  1 


THE   RED   ROVER.  l6l 

call  her  a  wholesome- looking  and  well-propoitioned  craft, 
and  one  that  a  king  might  sail  in  with  comfort." 

"I  deny  it  not;  still  I  like. her  not." 

^  "Well,  I  am  glad  of  that;  and,  since  the  matter  is  fairly 
between  us,  master  Harris,  I  have  a  word  or  two  to  say  con- 
cerning that  very  ship.  I  am  an  old  sea-dog,  and  one  not 
easily  blinded  in  the  trade.  Do  you  not  find  something, 
that  is  not  in  character  for  an  honest  trader,  in  the  manner 
in  which  they  have  laid  that  vessel  at  her  anchors,  without 
the  fort,  and  the  sleepy  look  she  bears,  at  the  same  time 
that  any  one  may  see  she  is  not  built  to  catch  oysters,  or  to 
carry  cattle  to  the  islands?" 

"  As  you  have  said,  I  think  her  a  wholesome  and  a  tight- 
built  ship.  Of  what  evil  practices,  however,  do  you  suspect 
her? — perhaps  she  robs  the  revenue?" 

"  Hum!  I  am  not  sure  it  would  be  pleasant  to  smuggle 
in  such  a  vessel,  though  your  contraband  is  a  merry  trade, 
after  all.  She  has  a  pretty  battery,  as  well  as  one  can  see 
from  this  distance." 

"  I  dare  say  her  owners  are  not  tired  of  her  yet,  and  would 
gladly  keep  her  from  falling  into  the  hands  of  the  French." 

"Well,  well,  I  may  be  wrong;  but,  unless  sight  is  going 
with  my  years,  all  is  not  as  it  would  be  on  board  that  slaver 
provided  her  papers  were  true,  and  she  had  the  lawful  name 
to  her  letters  of  marque.  What  think  you,  honest  Joe,  in 
this  matter?" 

Wilder  turned  impatiently  and  found  that  the  landlord 
had  entered  the  room,  with  a  step  so  light  as  to  have  es- 
caped his  attention,  which  had  been  drawn  to  his  com- 
panion with  a  force  that  the  reader  will  readily  comprehend. 
The  air  of  surprise  with  which  Joram  regarded  the  speaker 
was  certainly  not  affected;  for  the  question  was  repeated, 
and  in  still  more  definite  terms  before  he  saw  fit  to  reply. 

"  I  ask  you,  honest  Joe,  if  you  think  the  slaver  in  the 
outer  harbor  of  this  port  a  true  man  ?" 

"  You  come  across  one,  Bob,  in  your  bold  way,  with  such 
ft 


1 62  THE    RED    ROVER. 

startling  questions,"  returned  the  publican,  casting  his  eyes 
obliquely  around  him,  as  if  to  make  ~ure  of  the  character  of 
his  audience,  "  such  stirring  opinions,  that  really  I  am  often 
non-plushed  to  know  how  to  get  the  ideas  together  to  make 
a  saving  answer." 

"  It  is  droll  enough,  truly,  to  see  the  landlord  of  the  *Foul 
Anchor'  dumbfounded,"  returned  the  old  man,  with  perfect 
composure  in  mien  and  eye.  "  I  ask  you,  in  plain  English, 
if  you  do  not  suspect  something  wrong  about  that  slaver?" 

"Wrong!  Good  heavens,  Mister  Robert,  recollect  what 
you  are  saying.  I  would  not,  for  the  custom  of  his  majesty's 
lord  high  admiral,  have  any  discouraging  words  uttered  in 
my  house  against  the  reputation  of  any  virtuous  and  fair- 
dealing  slavers!  The  Lord  protect  me  from  blacking  the 
character  of  any  honest  subject  of  the  king!" 

"Do  you  see  nothing  wrong,  worthy  and  tender  Joram, 
about  the  ship  in  the  outer  harbor?"  repeated  Mister  Robert,  • 
without  moving  eye,  limb,  or  muscle. 

"Well,  since  you  press  me  so  hard  for  an  opinion,  and 
seeing  that  you  are  a  customer  who  pays  freely  for  what  he 
orders,  I  will  say,  that,  if  there  is  anything  unreasonable, 
or  even  illegal,  in  £he  deportment  of  the  gentlemen " 

"You  sail  so  nigh  the  wind,  friend  Joram,"  coolly  inter- 
rupted the  old  man,  "  as  to  keep  everything  shaking,  your 
teeth  included.  Just  bethink  you  of  a  plain  answer:  have 
you  seen  anything  wrong  about  the  slaver?" 

"Nothing,  on  my  conscience,  then,"  said  the  publican, 
puffing  not  unlike  a  cetaceous  fish  that  had  come  to  the  sur- 
face to  breathe;  "  as  I  am  an  unworthy  sinner,  sitting  under 
the  preaching  of  good  and  faithful  Dr.  Dogma,  nothing — 
nothing." 

"  No !  Then  are  you  a  duller  man  than  I  had  rated  you 
at!  Do  you  suspect  nothing?" 

"Heaven  protect  me  from  suspicions!  The  devil  besets 
all  our  minds  with  doubts;  but  weak  and  evil  inclined  is  he 
who  submits  to  them.  The  officers  and  crew  of  that  ship 


THE   RED    ROVER.  163 

are  free  drinkers,  and  as  generous  as  princes ;  moreover,  as 
they  never  forget  to  clear  the  score  before  they  leave  the 
house,  I  call  them — honest!" 

"And  I  call  them— pirates!" 

"Pirates!"  echoed  Joram,  fastening  his  eye,  with  marked 
distrust,  on  the  countenance  of  the  attentive  Wilder.  "'Pi- 
rate* is  a  harsh  word,  Mister  Robert,  and  should  not  be 
thrown  in  any  gentleman's  face,  without  testimony  enough 
to  clear  one  in  an  action  of  defamation,  should  such  a  thing 
get  fairly  before  twelve  sworn  and  conscientious  men.  But 
I  suppose  you  know  what  you  say,  and  before  whom  you 
say  it." 

"I  do;  and  now,  as  it  seems  that  your  opinion  in  this 
matter  amounts  to  just  nothing  at  all,  you  will  please '* 

"To  do  anything  you  order,"  cried  Joram,  delighted  to 
change  the  subject. 

"To  go  and  ask  the  customers  below  if  they  are  dry," 
continued  the  other,  beckoning  for  the  publican  to  retire  by 
the  way  he  entered,  with  the  air  of  one  who  felt  certain  of 
being  obeyed.  As  soon  as  the  door  was  closed  on  the  retir- 
ing landlord,  he  turned  to  his  remaining  companion,  and 
continued,  "  You  seem  as  much  struck  aback  as  unbelieving 
Joe  himself,  at  what  you  have  just  heard?" 

"  It  is  a  harsh  suspicion,  and  should  be  well  supported, 
old  man,  before  you  venture  to  repeat  it.  What  pirate  has 
lately  been  heard  of  on  this  coast?" 

"There  is  the  well-known  Red  Rover,"  returned  the 
other,  dropping  his  voice,  and  casting  a  furtive  look  around 
him,  as  if  even  he  thought  extraordinary  caution  was  neces- 
sary in  uttering  the  formidable  name. 

"  But  he  is  said  to  keep  chiefly  in  the  Caribbean  Sea.' 

"  He  is  a  man  to  be  anywhere,  and  everywhere.  The 
king  would  pay  him  well  who  put  the  rogue  into  the  hands 
of  the  law." 

"A  thing  easier  planned  than  executed,"  Wilder  thought 
fully  answered. 


164  THE    RED    ROVER. 

"That  is  as  it  may  be.  I  am  an  old  fellow,  and  fitter'to 
point  out  the  way  to  go  ahead;  but  you  are  like  a  newly 
fitted  ship,  with  all  your  rigging  tight,  and  your  spars  with- 
out a  warp  in  them.  What  say  you  to  make  your  fortune  by 
selling  the  knaves  to  the  king?  It  is  only  giving  the  devil 
his  own  a  few  months  sooner  or  later." 

Wilder  started,  and  turned  away  from  his  companion  like 
one  who  was  little  pleased  by  the  manner  in  which  he  ex- 
pressed himself.  Perceiving  the  necessity  of  a  reply,  how- 
ever, he  demanded : 

"And  what  reason  have  you  for  believing  your  suspicions 
true  ?  or  what  means  have  you  for  effecting  your  object,  if 
true,  in  the  absence  of  the  royal  cruisers?" 

"I  cannot  swear  that  I  am  right;  but,  if  sailing  on  the 
wrong  tack,  we  can  only  go  about  when  we  find  out  the  mis- 
take. As  to  means,  I  confess  they  are  easier  named  than 
mustered." 

"Go,  go:  this  is  idle  talk;  a  mere  whim  of  your  old 
brain,"  said  Wilder  coldly;  "and  the  less  said  the  soonest 
mended.  All  this  time  we  are  forgetting  our  proper  busi- 
ness. I  am  half  inclined  to  think,  Mister  Robert,  you  are 
holding  out  false  lights,  in  order  to  get  rid  of  the  duty  for 
which  you  are  already  half  paid." 

There  was  a  look  of  satisfaction  in  the  countenance  of 
the  old  tar,  while  Wilder  was  speaking,  that  might  have 
struck  his  companion,  had  not  the  young  man  risen,  to  pace 
the  narrow  room,  with  a  thoughtful  and  hurried  step. 

"  Well,  well,"  the  former  rejoined,  endeavoring  to  disguise 
his  contentment,  in  his  customary  selfish  but  shrewd  expres- 
sion, "  I  am  an  old  dreamer,  and  often  have  I  thought  my- 
self swimming  in  the  sea,  when  I  have  been  safe  moored  on 
dry  land!  I  believe  there  must  soon  be  a  reckoning  with 
the  devil,  in  order  that  each  may  take  his  share  of  my  poor 
carcass,  and  I  be  left  the  captain  of  my  own  ship.  Now  for 
your  honor's  orders." 

Wilder  returned  to  his  seat,  and  disposed  himself  to  give 


THE   RED   ROVER.  1 65 

the  necessary  instructions  to  his  confederate,  in  order  that 
he  might  counteract  all  he  had  already  said  in  favor  of  the 
outward  bound  vessel. 


CHAPTER   XI. 

The  man  is,  notwithstanding,  sufficient ;— three  thousand  ducats— I  think  I  may 

take  his  bond. — Merchant  of  Venice. 

As  the  day  advanced,  the  appearance  of  a  fresh  sea-breeze 
setting  in  gradually  grew  stronger;  and,  with  the  increase  of 
the  wind,  were  to  be  seen  all  the  symptoms  of  an  intention 
to  leave  the  harbor  on  the  part  of  the  Bristol  trader.  The 
sailing  of  a  large  ship  was  an  event  of  much  more  importance 
in  an  American  port  sixty  years  ago  than  at  the  present 
hour,  when  a  score  is  frequently  seen  to  arrive  and  depart 
from  one  haven  in  a  single  day.  Although  claiming  to  be 
inhabitants  of  one  of  the  principal  towns  of  the  colony,  the 
good  people  of  Newport  did  not  witness  the  movements  on 
board  the  "Caroline"  with  that  species  of  indolent  regard 
which  is  the  fruit  of  satiety  in  sights  as  well  as  in  graver 
things,  and  with  which,  in  the  course  of  time,  the  evolutions 
of  even  a  fleet  come  to  be  contemplated.  On  the  contrary, 
the  wharves  were  crowded  with  boys,  and  indeed  with  idlers 
of  every  growth.  Even  many  of  the  more  considerate  and 
industrious  of  the  citizens  were  seen  loosening  the  close 
grasp  they  usually  kept  on  the  precious  minutes,  and  allow- 
ing them  to  escape  uncounted,  though  not  entirely  unheeded, 
as  they  yielded  to  the  ascendency  of  curiosity  over  interest, 
and  strayed  from  their  shops,  and  their  work-yards,  to  ga?e 
upon  the  noble  spectacle*  of  a  moving  ship. 

The  tardy  manner  in  which  the  crew  of  the  "  Caroline" 
made  their  preparations,  however,  exhausted  the  patience  of 
more  than  one  time-saving  citizen.  Quite  as  many  of  the 


1 66  THE    RED    ROVER. 

better  sort  of  the  spectators  had  left  the  wharves  as  still  re- 
mained, and  yet  the  vessel  had  spread  to  the  breeze  but  tlv* 
solitary  sheet  of  canvas  which  has  been  already  named. 
Instead  of  answering  the  wishes  of  hundreds  of  weary  eyes, 
the  noble  ship  was  seen  sheering  about  her  anchor,  inclining 
from  the  passing  wind,  as  her  bows  were  alternately  turned 
to  the  right  and  to  the  left,  like  a  restless  courser,  restrained 
by  the  grasp  of  the  groom,  chafing  his  bit,  and  with  diffi- 
culty keeping  those  limbs  upon  the  earth  with  which  he  is 
shortly  to  bound  around  the  ring.  After  more  than  an  hour 
of  unaccountable  delay,  a  rumor  was  spread  among  the  crowd 
that  an  accident  had  occurred,  by  which  some  important  in- 
dividual belonging  to  the  complement  of  the  vessel  was 
severely  injured.  But  this  rumor  passed  away  also,  and  was 
nearly  forgotten,  when  a  sheet  of  flame  issued  from  a  bow 
port  of  the  "Caroline,"  driving  before  it  a  cloud  of  curling 
and  mounting  smoke,  and  was  succeeded  by  the  roar  of  ar- 
tillery. A  bustle,  like  that  which  usually  precedes  the  im- 
mediate announcement  of  a  long-expected  event,  took  place 
among  the  weary  expectants  on  the  land,  and  every  one  now 
seemed  to  feel  quite  certain  that,  whatever  might  have  oc- 
curred, it  was  settled  that  the  ship  should  proceed. 

Of  all  this  delay,  the  several  movements  on  board,  the 
subsequent  signal  for  sailing,  and  of  the  impatience  in  the 
crowd,  Wilder  had  been  a  close  observer.  Posted  with  his 
back  against  the  upright  fluke  of  a  condemned  anchor,  on 
a  wharf  a  little  apart  from  that  occupied  by  most  of  the 
spectators,  he  had  remained  an  hour  in  the  same  position, 
scarcely  bending  his  look  to  his  right  hand  or  to  his  left. 
When  the  gun  was  fired  he  started,  not  with  the  nervous  im- 
pulse which  had  made  a  hundred  others  do  precisely  the 
same  thing,  but  to  turn  a  glance  along  the  streets  that  came 
within  the  range  of  his  eye.  From  this  hasty  and  uneasy 
examination,  he  soon  returned  into  his  former  reclining 
posture,  though  the  wandering  of  his  glances,  and  the  whole 
expression  of  his  countenance,  would  have  told  an  observer 


THE   RED   ROVEK  167 

that  some  event  to  which  the  young  mariner  looked  forward 
with  excessive  interest  was  on  the  eve  of  its  consummation. 
As  minute  after  minute,  however,  rolled  by,  his  composure 
was  gradually  restored,  and  a  smile  of  satisfaction  lighted 
his  features,  while  his  lips  moved  like  those  of  a  man  who 
expressed  his  pleasure  in  a  soliloquy.  In  the  midst  of  these 
agreeable  meditations,  the  sound  of  many  voices  met  his 
ears;  and,  turning,  he  saw  a  large  party  within  a  few  yards 
of  where  he  stood.  He  was  not  slow  to  detect  among  them 
the  forms  of  Mrs.  Wyllys  and  Gertrude,  attired  in  such  a 
manner  as  to  leave  no  doubt  that  they  were  on  the  eve  of 
embarking. 

A  cloud,  driving  before  the  sun,  does  not  produce  a 
greater  change  in  the  aspect  of  the  earth,  than  was  wrought 
in  the  expression  of  Wilder's  countenance  by  this  unex- 
pected sight.  He  was  just  implicitly  relying  on  the  success 
of  an  artifice,  which,  though  sufficiently  shallow,  he  flattered 
himself  was  deep  enough  to  act  on  the  timidity  and  credu- 
lity of  woman;  and  now  he  was  suddenly  awoke  from  his 
self-gratulation,  to  prove  the  utter  disappointment  of  his 
hopes.  Muttering  a  suppressed  but  deep  execration  against 
the  perfidy  of  his  confederate,  he  shrunk  as  much  as  pos- 
sible behind  the  fluke  of  the  anchor,  fastening  his  eyes  sul- 
lenly on  the  ship. 

The  party  which  accompanied  the  travellers  to  the  water- 
side was,  like  all  other  parties  made  to  take  leave  of  valued 
friends,  taciturn  and  restless.  Those  who  spoke  did  so 
with  a  rapid  and  impatient  utterance,  as  if  they  wished  to 
hurry  the  very  separation  they  regretted ;  and  the  features  of 
those  who  said  nothing  looked  full  of  meaning.  Wilder 
heard  several  affectionate  and  warm-hearted  wishes  given, 
and  promises  extorted,  from  youthful  voices,  all  of  which 
were  answered  in  the  mournful  tones  of  Gertrude,  and  yet 
he  obstinately  refused  to  bend  even  a  stolen  look  in  the  di- 
rection of  the  speakers. 

At  length,  a  footstep  within  a  few  feet  of  him  induced  a 


1 68  THE   RED   ROVER. 

hasty  glance  aside.  His  eye  met  that  of  Mrs.  Wyllys.  The 
lady  started,  as  well  as  our  young  mariner,  at  the  sudden 
recognition;  but,  recovering  her  self-possession,  she  ob- 
served, with  admirable  coolness: 

"  You  perceive,  sir,  that  we  are  not  to  be  deterred  from 
an  enterprise  once  undertaken,  by  any  ordinary  dangers." 

"  I  hope  you  may  not  have  reason,  madam,  to  repent  your 
courage." 

A  short,  but  painfully  thoughtful  pause  succeeded,  on  the 
part  of  Mrs.  Wyllys.  Casting  a  look  behind  her,  in  order 
to  ascertain  that  she  was  not  overheard,  she  drew  a  step 
nigher  to  the  youth,  and  said,  in  a  voice  even  lower  than 
before : 

"  It  is  not  yet  too  late.  Give  me  but  the  shadow  of  a 
reason  for  what  you  have  said,  and  I  will  wait  for  another 
ship.  My  feelings  are  foolishly  inclined  to  believe  you, 
young  man,  though  my  judgment  tells  me  there  is  but 
too  much  probability  that  you  trifle  with  our  womanish 
fears." 

"Trifle!  On  such  a  matter  I  would  trifle  with  none  of 
your  sex;  and  least  of  all  with  you!" 

"This  is  extraordinary!  For  a  stranger  it  is  inexplic- 
able! Have  you  a  fact,  or  a  reason,  which  I  can  plead  to 
the  friends  of  my  young  charge?" 

"  You  know  them  already." 

"Then,  sir,  I  am  compelled,  against  my  will,  to  believe 
your  motive  is  one  that  you  have  some  powerful  considera- 
tions for  wishing  to  conceal,"  coldly  returned  the  disap- 
pointed and  even  mortified  governess.  "  For  your  own  sake, 
I  hope  it  is  not  unworthy.  I  thank  you  for  all  that  is  well 
intended :  if  you  have  spoken  aught  which  is  otherwise,  I 
forgive  it." 

They  parted,  with  the  restraint  of  people  who  feel  that 
distrust  exists  between  them.  Wilder  again  shrank  behind 
his  cover,  maintaining  a  proud  position,  and  a  countenance 
that  was  grave  to  austerity.  His  situation,  however,  com- 


THE  RED  ROVER.  169 

pel  led  him  to  become  an  auditor  of  most  of  what  was  now 
said. 

The  principal  speaker,  as  was  meet  on  such  an  occasion, 
was  Mrs.  de  Lacey,  whose  voice  was  often  raised  in  sage  ad- 
monitions and  professional  opinions,  blended  in  a  manner 
that  all  would  admire,  though  none  of  her  sex  but  they  who 
had  enjoyed  the  singular  good  fortune  of  sharing  in  the 
intimate  confidence  of  a  flag-officer,  might  ever  hope  to 
imitate. 

"  And  now,  my  dearest  niece,"  concluded  the  relict  of  the 
rear-admiral,  after  exhausting  her  breath  and  her  stores  of 
wisdom,  in  numberless  exhortations  to  be  careful  of  her 
health,  to  write  often,  to  repeat  the  actual  words  of  her  pri- 
vate message  to  her  brother  the  general,  to  keep  below  in 
gales  of  wind,  to  be  particular  in  the  account  of  any  extra- 
ordinary sights  she  might  have  the  good  fortune  to  behold 
in  the  passage,  and,  in  short,  in  all  other  matters  likely  to 
grow  out  of  such  a  leave-taking — "and  now,  my  dearest 
niece,  I  commit  you  to  the  mighty  deep,  and  One  far 
mightier — to  Him  who  made  it.  Banish  from  your  thoughts 
all  recollections  of  anything  you  may  have  heard  concern- 
ing the  imperfections  of  the  'Royal  Caroline';  for  the 
opinion  of  the  aged  seaman  who  sailed  with  the  lamented 
admiral  assures  me  they  are  all  founded  in  mistake."  ["  The 
treacherous  villain!"  muttered  Wilder.]  "Who  spoke?" 
said  Mrs.  de  Lacey;  but,  receiving  no  reply,  she  continued: 
"  His  opinion  is  also  exactly  in  accordance  with  my  own, 
on  more  mature  reflection.  To  be  sure,  it  is  culpable  neg- 
lect to  depend  on  bobstays  and  gammonings  for  the  security 
of  the  bowsprit;  but  even  this  is  an  oversight  which,  as  my 
old  friend  has  just  told  me,  may  be  remedied  by  'preventers 
and  lashings.'  I  have  written  a  note  to  the  master— Ger- 
trude, my  dear,  be  careful  ever  to  call  the  master  of  the  ship 
Mister  Nichols;  for  none  but  those  who  bear  his  majesty's 
commission  are  entitled  to  be  termed  captains;  it  is  an  hon- 
orable station,  and  should  always  be  treated  with  reverence, 


THE   RED   ROVER. 

it  being  in  fact,  next  in  rank  to  a  flag-officer — I  have  written 
a  note  to  the  master  on  the  subject,  and  he  will  see  the 
neglect  repaired:  and  so,  my  love,  God  bless  you;  take  the 
best  possible  care  of  yourself;  write  me  by  every  oppor- 
tunity; remember  my  kindest  love  to  your  father,  and  be 
very  minute  in  your  description  of  the  whales." 

The  eyes  of  the  worthy  and  kind-hearted  widow  were 
filled  with  tears,  and  there  was  a  touch  of  nature  in  the 
tremor  of  her  voice,  that  produced  a  sympathetic  feeling  in 
all  who  heard  her.  The  final  parting  took  place  under  the 
impressions  of  these  kind  emotions,  and,  before  another 
minute,  the  oars  of  the  boat  which  bore  the  travellers  to  the 
ship  were  stirring  the  water. 

Wilder  listened  to  the  well-known  sounds  with  a  feverish 
interest,  that  he  might  have  found  it  difficult  to  explain  to 
himself.  A  light  touch  on  the  elbow  first  drew  his  attention 
from  the  disagreeable  subject.  Surprised  at  the  circum- 
stance, he  faced  the  intruder,  who  appeared  to  be  a  lad  of 
apparently  some  fifteen  years.  A  second  look  was  necessary 
to  tell  the  abstracted  young  mariner  that  he  again  saw  the 
attendant  of  the  Rover ;  he  who  has  already  been  introduced 
in  our  pages  under  the  name  of  Roderick. 

"Your  pleasure?"  he  demanded,  when  his  amazement  at 
being  thus  interrupted  had  a  little  subsided. 

"  I  am  directed  to  put  these  orders  into  your  own  hands," 
was  the  answer. 

"Orders!"  repeated  the  young  man  with  a  curling  lip. 
"  The  authority  should  be  respected  which  issues  its  man- 
dates through  such  a  messenger." 

"  The  authority  is  one  that  it  has  ever  proved  dangerous 
to  disobey,"  gravely  returned  the  boy. 

"Indeed!  Then  will  I  look  into  the  contents  without 
delay,  lest  I  iall  into  some  fatal  negligence.  Are  you  bid 
to  wait  an  answer?" 

On  raising  his  eyes  from  the  note,  after  breaking  the  seal, 
the  young  man  found  that  the  messenger  had  already  van- 


THE   RED    ROVER.  I?  I 

ished.  Perceiving  how  useless  it  would  be  to  pursue  so 
light  a  form,  amid  the  mazes  of  lumber  that  loaded  the 
wharf,  and  most  of  the  adjacent  shore,  he  opened  the  letter 
and  read  as  follows: 

"An  accident  has  disabled  the  master  of  the  outward- 
bound  ship  called  the  'Royal  Caroline!'  Her  consignee  is 
reluctant  to  entrust  her  to  the  officer  next  in  rank!  but  sail 
she  must.  I  find  she  has  credit  for  speed.  If  you  have  any 
credentials  of  character  and  competency,  profit  by  the  occa- 
sion, and  earn  the  station  you  are  finally  destined  to  fill. 
You  have  been  named  to  some  who  are  interested,  and  you 
have  been  sought  diligently.  If  this  reach  you  in  season,  be 
on  the  alert,  and  be  decided.  Show  no  surprise  at  any  co- 
operation you  may  unexpectedly  meet.  My  agents  are  more 
numerous  than  you  probably  believe.  The  reason  is  ob- 
vious; gold  is  yellow,  though  I  am  RED." 

The  signature,  the  matter,  and  the  style  of  this  letter  left 
Wilder  in  no  doubt  as  to  its  author.  Casting  a  glance 
around  him,  he  sprang  into  a  skiff;  and,  before  the  boat  of 
the  travellers  had  reached  the  ship,  that  of  Wilder  had 
skimmed  the  water  over  half  the  distance  between  her  and 
the  land.  As  he  plied  his  sculls  with  vigorous  and  skilful 
arms,  he  soon  stood  upon  her  decks.  Forcing  his  way 
among  the  crowd  of  attendants  from  the  shore,  that  are  apt 
to  cumber  a  departing  ship,  he  reached  the  part  of  the 
vessel  where  a  circle  of  busy  faces  told  him  he  should  find 
those  most  concerned  in  her  fate.  Until  now,  he  had  hardly 
breathed  clearly,  much  less  reflected  on  the  character  of  his 
sudden  enterprise.  It  was  too  late,  however,  to  retreat,  had 
he  been  so  disposed,  or  to  abandon  his  purpose  without 
incurring  the  hazard  of  exciting  dangerous  suspicions. 
A  single  instant  served  to  recall  his  thoughts,  ere  he 
demanded : 

"  Do  I  see  the  owner  ot  the  'Caroline'?" 


THE    RED    ROVER. 

"  The  ship  is  consigned  to  our  house,"  returned  a  sedate, 
deliberate,  and  shrewd-looking  individual,  in  the  attire  of  a 
wealthy,  thrifty  trader. 

"I  have  heard  that  you  have  need  of  an  experienced 
officer?" 

"  Experienced  officers  are  comfortable  things  to  an  owner 
in  a  vessel  of  value,"  returned  the  merchant.  "  I  hope  the 
'Caroline'  is  not  without  her  portion." 

"  But  I  had  heard,  one  to  supply  her  commander's  place, 
for  a  time,  was  greatly  needed?" 

"  If  her  commander  were  incapable  of  doing  his  duty, 
such  a  thing  might  certainly  come  to  pass.  Are  you  seek- 
ing a  berth?" 

"  I  have  come  to  apply  for  the  vacancy." 

"  It  would  have  been  wiser,  had  you  first  ascertained  there 
existed  a  vacancy  to  fill.  But  you  have  not  come  to  ask 
authority  in  such  a  ship  as  this,  without  sufficient  testimony 
of  your  ability  and  fitness?" 

"  I  hope  these  documents  may  prove  satisfactory,"  said 
Wilder,  placing  in  his  hands  a  couple  of  unsealed  letters. 

During  the  time  the  other  was  reading  the  certificates,  for 
such  they  proved  to  be,  his  shrewd  eye  was  looking  over  his 
spectacles  at  the  subject  of  their  contents,  and  returning  to 
the  paper,  in  alternate  glances,  in  such  a  way  as  to  render 
it  very  evident  that  he  was  endeavoring  to  assure  himself  of 
the  fidelity  of  the  words  he  read,  by  actual  observation. 

"Hum!  This  is  certainly  very  excellent  testimony  in 
your  favor,  young  gentleman;  and — coming,  as  it  does, 
from  two  so  respectable  and  affluent  houses  as  Spriggs, 
Boggs,  and  Tweed,  and  Hammer  and  Hacket— entitled  to 
great  credit.  A  richer  and  broader-bottomed  firm  than  the 
former  is  not  to  be  found  in  his  majesty's  colonies;  and  I 
have  great  respect  for  the  latter,  though  envious  people  do 
say  that  they  overtrade  a  little." 

"  Since,  then,  you  esteem  them  so  highly,  I  shall  not  be 
considered  hasty  in  presuming  on  their  friendship?" 


THE    RED    ROVER. 

"  Not  at  all,  not  at  all,  Mr. a — a — "  glancing  his  eye 

again  into  one  of  the  letters;  "ay,  Mr.  Wilder;  there  is 
never  any  presumption  in  a  fair  offer,  in  a  matter  of  busi- 
ness. Without  offers  to  sell  and  offers  to  buy,  our  property 
would  never  change  hands,  sir,  ha!  ha!  ha!  never  change 
to  a  profit,  you  know,  young  gentleman." 

"  I  am  aware  of  the  truth  of  what  you  say,  and  therefore 
I  beg  leave  to  repeat  my  offer." 

"All  perfectly  fair  and  perfectly  reasonable;  but  you. 
cannot  expect  us,  Mr.  Wilder,  to  make  a  vacancy  expressly 
for  you  to  fill,  though  it  must  be  admitted  that  your  papers 
are  excellent — as  good  as  the  note  of  Spriggs,  Boggs,  and 
Tweed  themselves — not  to  make  a  vacancy  expressly 

"  I  had  supposed  the  master  of  the  ship  so  seriously  in- 
jured  

"  Injured,  but  not  seriously,"  interrupted  the  wary  con- 
signee, glancing  his  eye  around  at  sundry  shippers,  and  one 
or  two  spectators,  who  were  within  ear-shot;  "injured  cer- 
tainly, but  not  so  much  as  to  quit  the  vessel.  No,  no,  gen- 
tlemen; the  good  ship, 'Royal  Caroline/ proceeds  on  her 
voyage,  as  usual,  under  the  care  of  that  old  and  well-tried 
mariner,  Nicholas  Nichols." 

"  Then,  sir,  I  am  sorry  to  have  intruded  on  your  time  at 
so  busy  a  moment,"  said  Wilder,  bowing  with  a  disap- 
pointed air,  and  falling  back  a  step,  as  if  about  to  withdraw. 

"  Not  so  hasty — not  so  hasty ;  bargains  are  not  to  be  con- 
cluded, young  man,  as  you  let  a  sail  fall  from  the  yard.  It 
is  possible  that  your  services  may  be  of  use,  though  not, 
perhaps,  in  the  responsible  situation  of  master.  At  what 
Kite  do  you  value  the  title  of  'captain'?" 

"  I  care  little  for  the  name,  provided  the  trust  and  the 
authority  are  mine." 

"  A  very  sensible  youth!"  muttered  the  discreet  merchant; 
"  and  one  who  knows  how  to  distinguish  between  the  shadow 
and  the  substance!  A  gentleman  of  your  good  sense  and 
character  must  know,  however,  that  the  reward  is  always  pro- 


174  THE  RED  ROVER. 

portioned  to  the  nominal  dignity.  If  I  were  acting  for  my- 
self, in  this  business,  the  case  would  be  materially  changed, 
but,  as  an  agent,  it  is  a  duty  to  consult  the  interest  of  my 
principal." 

"  The  reward  is  of  no  account,"  said  Wilder,  with  an  ea- 
gerness that  might  have  overreached  itself,  had  not  the  in- 
dividual with  whom  he  was  bargaining  fastened  his  thoughts 
on  the  means  of  cheapening  the  other's  services,  with  a 
steadiness  from  which  they  rarely  swerved,  when  bent  on  so 
commendable  an  object  as  saving.  "  I  seek  for  service." 

"Then  service  you  shall  have;  nor  will  you  find  us  nig- 
gardly in  the  operation.  You  cannot  expect  an  advance  for 
a  run  of  no  more  than  a  month;  nor  any  perquisites  in  the 
way  of  stowage,  since  the  ship  is  now  full  to  her  hatches; 
nor,  indeed,  any  great  price  in  the  shape  of  wages,  since  we 
take  you  chiefly  to  accommodate  so  worthy  a  youth  and  to 
honor  the  recommendations  of  so  respectable  a  house  as 
Spriggs,  Boggs,  and  Tweed;  but  you  will  find  us  liberal, 
excessively  liberal.  Stay — how  know  we  that  you  are  the 
person  named  in  the  invoi — I  should  say,  recommendation  ?" 

"  Does  not  the  fact  of  possessing  the  letters  establish  my 
character?" 

"It  might  in  peaceable  times,  when  the  realm  was  not 
scourged  by  war.  A  description  of  the  person  should  have 
accompanied  the  documents,  like  a  letter  of  advice  with  the 
bill.  As  we  take  you  at  some  risk  in  this  matter,  you  are 
not  to  be  surprised  that  the  price  will  be  affected  by  the  cir- 
cumstance. We  are  liberal;  I  believe  no  house  in  the  col- 
onies pays  more  liberally;  but  then  we  have  a  character  for 
prudence  too." 

"  I  have  already  said,  sir,  that  the  price  shall  not  inter- 
rupt our  bargain." 

"Good:  there  is  pleasure  in  transacting  business  on  such 
liberal  and  honorable  views;  and  yet  I  wish  a  notarial  seal, 
or  a  description  of  the  person,  had  accompanied  the  letters. 
This  is  the  signature  of  Robert  Tweed;  I  know  it  well,  and 


THE   RED    ROVER.  175 

would  be  glad  to  see  it  at  the  bottom  of  a  promissory  note 
for  ten  thousand  pounds:  that  is,  with  a  responsible  in- 
dorser;  but  the  uncertainty  is  much  against  your  pecuniary 
interest,  young  man,  since  we  become,  as  it  were,  underwri- 
ters that  you  are  the  individual  named." 

"  In  order  that  your  mind  may  be  at  ease  on  this  subject, 
Mr.  Bale,"  said  a  voice  from  among  the  little  circle  that 
was  listening,  with  characteristic  interest,  to  the  progress  of 
the  bargain,  "  I  can  testify,  or,  should  it  be  necessary,  qual- 
ify to  the  person  of  the  gentleman." 

Wilder  turned  in  some  haste,  and  in  no  little  astonish- 
ment, to  discover  the  acquaintance  whom  chance  had 
thrown  in  so  extraordinary,  and  possibly  in  so  disagreeable 
a  manner,  across  his  path;  and  that,  too,  in  a  portion  of  the 
country  where  he  wished  to  believe  himself  an  entire  stran- 
ger. To  his  utter  amazement,  he  found  that  the  new  speaker 
was  no  other  than  the  landlord  of  the  "  Foul  Anchor." — Hon- 
est Joe  stood  with  a  perfectly  composed  look,  and  with  a 
face  that  might  readily  have  been  trusted  to  confront  a  far 
more  imposing  tribunal,  awaiting  the  result  of  his  testimony 
on  the  wavering  rrfind  of  the  consignee. 

"  Ah !  you  have  lodged  the  gentleman  for  a  night,  and  you 
can  testify  that  he  is  a  punctual  paymaster,  and  a  civil  in- 
mate. But  I  want  documents  fit  to  be  filed  with  the  corre- 
spondence of  the  owners  at  home" 

11 1  know  not  what  sort  of  testimony  you  think  fit  for  such 
good  company,"  returned  the  unmoved  publican,  holding 
up  his  hand  with  an  air  of  admirable  innocence ;  "  but  if 
the  sworn  declaration  of  a  housekeeper  is  of  the  sort  you 
need,  you  are  a  magistrate,  and  may  begin  to  say  over  the 
words  at  once." 

"  Not  I,  not  I,  man.  Though  a  magistrate,  the  oath  is  in- 
formal, and  would  not  be  binding  in  law.  But  what  do  you 
know  of  the  person  in  question?" 

"  That  he  is  as  good  a  seaman,  for  his  years,  as  any  in  the 
colonies.  There  may  be  some  of  more  practice  and  greater 


176  THE   RED    ROVER. 

experience — I  dare  say  such  are  to  be  found — but  as  to  ac- 
tivity, watchfulness,  and  prudence,  it  would  be  hard  to  find 
his  equal — especially  for  prudence." 

"  You  then  are  quite  certain  that  this  person  is  the  indi- 
vidual named  in  these  papers?" 

Joram  received  the  certificates  with  the  same  admirable 
coolness  he  had  maintained  from  the  commencement,  and 
prepared  to  read  them  with  the  most  scrupulous  care.  In 
order  to  effect  this  necessary  operation,  he  had  to  put  on  his 
spectacles  (for  the  landlord  of  the  "  Foul  Anchor"  was  in 
the  wane  of  life),  and  Wilder  fancied  that  he  stood,  during 
the  process,  a  notable  example  of  how  respectable  depravity 
may  become,  in  appearance,  when  supported  by  a  reverend 
air. 

"This  is  all  very  true,  Mr.  Bale,"  continued  the  publican, 
removing  his  glasses,  and  returning  the  papers.  "  They 
have  forgotten  to  say  anything  of  the  manner  in  which  he 
saved  the  'Lively  Nancy*  off  Hatteras,  and  how  he  ran  the 
'Peggy  and  Dolly'  over  the  Savannah  bar,  without  a  pilot, 
blowing  great  guns  from  the  northward  and  eastward  at  the 
time;  but  I,  who  followed  the  water,  as  you  know,  in  my 
younger  days,  have  often  heard  both  circumstances  men- 
tioned among  seafaring  men,  and  I  am  a  judge  of  the  diffi- 
culty. I  have  an  interest  in  this  ship,  neighbor  Bale  (for 
though  a  rich  man,  and  I  a  poor  one,  we  are  nevertheless 
neighbors) — I  say  I  have  an  interest  in  this  ship;  since  she 
is  a  vessel  that  seldom  quits  Newport  without  leaving  some- 
thing to  jingle  in  my  pocket,  or  I  should  not  be  here  to- 
day to  see  her  lift  her  anchor." 

As  the  publican  concluded,  he  gave  audible  evidence  that 
his  visit  had  not  gone  unrewarded,  by  raising  a  music  that 
was  no  less  agreeable  to  the  ears  of  the  thrifty  merchant 
than  to  his  own.  The  two  worthies  laughed  in  an  under- 
standing way,  and  like  men  who  had  found  a  particular  profit 
in  their  intercourse  with  the  "Royal  Caroline."  The  latter 
then  beckoned  Wilder  apart;  and,  after  a  little  further  pre- 


THE   RED    ROVER.  177 

liminary  discourse,  the  terms  of  the  young  mariner's  engage- 
ment were  finally  settled.  The  true  master  of  the  ship  was 
to  remain  on  board,  both  as  a  security  for  the  insurance,  and 
in  order  to  preserve  her  reputation ;  but  it  was  frankly  ad- 
mitted that  his  hurt,  which  was  no  less  than  a  broken  leg, 
and  which  the  surgeons  were  then  setting,  would  probably 
keep  him  below  for  a  month  to  come.  During  the  time  he 
was  kept  from  his  duty,  his  functions  were  to  be  discharged 
by  our  adventurer.  These  arrangements  occupied  another 
hour,  and  then  the  consignee  left  the  vessel,  perfectly  satis- 
fied with  the  prudent  and  frugal  manner  in  which  he  had 
discharged  his  duty  toward  his  principal.  Before  stepping 
into  the  boat,  however,  with  a  view  to  be  equally  careful  of 
his  own  interests,  he  took  an  opportunity  to  request  the  pub- 
lican to  make  a  proper  and  legal  affidavit  of  all  that  he  knew 
of  his  own  knowledge  concerning  the  officer  just  engaged. 
Honest  Joram  was  liberal  of  his  promises:  but,  as  he  saw 
no  motive,  now  that  all  was  so  happily  effected,  for  incur- 
ring useless  risks,  he  contrived  to  evade  their  fulfilment; 
finding,  no  doubt,  his  apology  for  this  breach  of  faith,  in 
the  absolute  poverty  of  his  information,  when  the  subject 
came  to  be  duly  considered  in  his  own  mind. 

It  is  unnecessary  to  relate  the  bustle,  the  reparation  of 
half-forgotten,  and  consequently  neglected  business,  the 
duns,  good  wishes,  injunctions  to  execute  commissions  in 
some  distant  port,  and  all  the  confused,  and  seemingly  in- 
terminable, duties  that  crowd  themselves  into  the  last  ten 
minutes  that  precede  the  sailing  of  a  merchant-vessel,  more 
especially  if  she  is  fortunate,  or  rather  unfortunate,  enough 
to  have  passengers.  A  certain  class  of  men  quit  a  vessel, 
in  such  a  situation,  with  the  reluctance  that  they  would  part 
with  any  other  well-established  means  of  profit,  creeping 
down  her  sides  as  lazily  as  the  leech,  filled  to  repletion, 
rolls  from  his  bloody  repast.  The  common  seaman,  with 
an  attention  divided  by  the  orders  of  the  pilot  and  the 
adieus  of  acquaintances,  runs  in  every  direction  but  the 

12 


1 78  THE   RED   ROVER. 

right  one;  and,  perhaps  at  the  only  time  in  his  life,  seems 
ignorant  of  the  uses  of  the  ropes  he  has  so  long  been  accus- 
tomed to  handle.  Notwithstanding  all  these  vexatious  de- 
lays and  customary  encumbrances,  the  "  Royal  Caroline" 
finally  got  rid  of  all  her  visitors  but  one;  and  Wilder  was 
enabled  to  indulge  in  a  pleasure  that  a  seaman  alone  can 
appreciate — that  of  clear  decks  and  an  orderly  ship's  com- 
pany. 


CHAPTER   XII. 

Good:   speak  to  the  mariners:  fall  to't  yarely,  or  we  run  ourselves  aground.— 

Tempest. 

A  GOOD  deal  of  the  day  had  been  wasted  during  the  time 
occupied  by  the  scenes  just  related.  The  breeze  had  come 
in  steady,  but  far  from  fresh.  So  soon,  however,  as  Wilder 
found  himself  left  without  the  molestation  of  idlers  from  the 
shore,  and  the  busy  interposition  of  the  consignee,  he  cast 
his  eyes  about  him,  with  the  intention  of  immediately  sub- 
mitting the  ship  to  its  power.  Sending  for  the  pilot,  he 
communicated  his  determination,  and  withdrew  himself  to  a 
part  of  the  deck  whence  he  might  take  a  proper  survey  of 
the  materials  of  his  new  command,  and  where  he  might  re- 
flect on  the  unexpected  and  extraordinary  situation  in  which 
he  found  himself. 

The  "  Royal  Caroline"  was  not  entirely  without  preten- 
sions to  her  lofty  name.  She  was  a  vessel  of  that  happy  size 
in  which  comfort  and  convenience  are  equally  consulted. 
The  letter  of  the  Rover  affirmed  she  had  a  reputation  for 
speed;  and  her  young  and  intelligent  commander  saw,  with 
great  inward  satisfaction,  that  she  was  not  destitute  of  the 
means  of  enabling  him  to  exhibit  her  properties.  A  healthy, 
active,  and  skilful  crew,  justly  proportioned  spars,  little 
top-hamper,  and  an  excellent  trim,  with  a  superabundance 
of  light  sails,  offered  all  the  advantages  his  experience  could 


THE  REt>   ROVER. 

Suggest.  His  eye  lighted,  as  it  glanced  rapidly  over  these 
several  particulars  of  his  command,  and  his  lips  moved  like 
those  of  a  man  who  uttered  inward  gratulations,  or  who  in- 
dulged in  some  vaunt,  that  propriety  suggested  should  go  no 
farther  than  his  own  thoughts. 

By  this  time  the  crew,  under  the  orders  of  the  pilot,  were 
assembled  at  the  windlass,  and  had  commenced  heaving-in 
upon  the  cable.  The  labor  was  of  a  nature  to  exhibit  their 
individual  powers,  as  well  as  their  collective  force,  to  the 
greatest  advantage.  Their  motion  was  simultaneous,  quick, 
and  full  of  muscle.  The  cry  was  clear  and  cheerful.  As  if 
to  feel  his  influence,  our  adventurer  lifted  his  own  voice 
amid  the  song  of  the  mariners,  in  one  of  those  sudden  and 
inspiriting  calls  with  which  a  sea-officer  is  wont  to  encour- 
age his  people.  His  utterance  was  deep,  animated,  and  full 
of  authority.  The  seamen  started,  like  mettled  coursers 
when  they  first  hear  the  signal,  each  man  casting  a  glance 
behind  him,  as  if  he  would  scan  the  qualities  of  his  new  su- 
perior. Wilder  smiled,  like  one  satisfied  with  his  success; 
and,  turning  to  pace  the  quarter-deck,  he  found  himself  once 
more  confronted  by  the  calm,  considerate,  but  certainly  as- 
tonished eye  of  Mrs.  Wyllys. 

"After  the  opinions  you  were  pleased  to  express  of  this 
vessel,"  said  the  lady,  in  a  manner  of  the  coldest  irony,  "  I 
did  not  expect  to  find  you  filling  a  place  of  so  much  respon- 
sibility here." 

"  You  probably  know,  madam,"  returned  the  young  mari- 
ner, "that  a  sad  accident  has  happened  to  her  master?" 

"I  do;  and  I  had  heard  that  another  officer  had  been 
found,  temporarily  to  supply  his  place.  Still,  I  should  pre- 
sume that,  on  reflection,  you  will  not  think  it  remarkable  I 
am  amazed  in  finding  who  this  person  is?" 

"  Perhaps  you  may  have  conceived,  from  our  conversa- 
tions, an  unfavorable  opinion  of  my  professional  skill.  I 
hope  that  on  this  head  you  will  place  your  mind  at  ease; 
for " 


l8O  THE    RED    ROVER. 

"  You  are  doubtless  a  master  of  the  art !  It  would  seem, 
at  least,  that  no  trifling  danger  can  deter  you  from  seeking 
proper  opportunities  to  display  this  knowledge.  Are  we  to 
have  the  pleasure  of  your  company  during  the  whole  pas- 
sage, or  do  you  leave  us  at  the  mouth  of  the  port?" 

"  I  am  engaged  to  conduct  the  ship  to  the  end  of  her  voy- 
age." 

"  We  may  then  hope  that  the  danger  you  either  saw  or 
imagined  is  lessened  in  your  judgment,  otherwise  you 
would  not  be  so  ready  to  encounter  it  in  our  company." 

"You  do  me  injustice,  madam,"  returned  Wilder,  with 
warmth,  glancing  his  eye  unconsciously  toward  the  grave 
but  attentive  Gertrude;  "there  is  no  danger  that  I  would 
not  cheerfully  encounter,  to  save  you,  or  this  young  lady, 
from  harm." 

"  Even  this  young  lady  must  be  sensible  of  so  much  chiv- 
alry!"  Then,  losing  the  constrained  manner  which  she  had 
hitherto  maintained,  in  one  more  natural,  and  one  far  more 
in  consonance  with  her  usually  mild  and  thoughtful  mien, 
Mrs.  Wyllys  continued:  "You  have  a  powerful  advocate, 
young  man,  in  the  unaccountable  interest  which  I  feel  in 
your  truth ;  an  interest  that  my  reason  would  condemn.  As 
the  ship  must  need  your  services,  I  will  no  longer  detain 
you.  Opportunities  cannot  be  wanting  to  enable  us  to  judge 
both  of  your  inclination  and  ability  to  serve  us.  Gertrude, 
my  love,  females  are  usually  considered  as  encumbrances  in 
a  vessel ;  more  particularly  when  there  is  any  delicate  duty 
to  perform  like  this  before  us." 

Gertrude  started,  blushed,  and  followed  her  governess  to 
the  opposite  side  of  the  quarter-deck,  though  a  look  from 
our  adventurer  seemed  to  say  that  he  considered  her  pres- 
ence anything  but  an  encumbrance.  As  the  ladies  took  a 
position  apart  from  everybody,  and  one  where  they  were 
least  in  the  way  of  working  the  ship,  at  the  same  time  that 
they  could  command  an  entire  view  of  her  manoeuvres,  the 
disappointed  sailor  was  obliged  to  cut  short  a  communica- 


THE   RED   ROVER.  l8l 

tion  which  he  would  gladly  have  continued,  until  compelled 
to  take  the  charge  of  the  vessel  from  the  hands  of  the  pilot. 
By  this  time,  however,  the  anchor  was  at  weigh,  and  the  sea- 
men were  actively  engaged  in  the  process  of  making  sail. 
Wilder  lent  himself,  with  feverish  excitement,  to  the  duty; 
and,  taking  the  words  from  the  officer  who  was  issuing  the 
orders,  he  assumed  the  immediate  superintendence  in  per- 
son. 

As  sheet  after  sheet  of  canvas  fell  from  the  yards,  and 
became  distended  by  the  complicated  mechanism,  the  inter- 
est that  a  seaman  seldom  fails  to  take  in  his  vessel  began 
to  gain  the  ascendency  over  all  other  feelings.  By  the  time 
everything  was  set,  from  the  royals  down,  and  the  ship  was 
cast  with  her  head  toward  the  harbor's  mouth,  our  adven- 
turer had  momentarily  forgotten  that  he  was  a  stranger 
among  those  he  was  in  so  extraordinary  a  manner  selected 
to  command,  and  how  precious  a  stake  was  entrusted  to  his 
firmness  and  decision.  Everything  being  set  to  advantage, 
alow  and  aloft,  and  the  ship  brought  close  upon  the  wind, 
his  eye  scanned  each  yard  and  sail,  from  the  truck  to  the 
hull,  concluding  by  casting  a  glance  along  the  outer  side  of 
the  vessel,  in  order  to  see  that  not  even  the  smallest  rope 
was  in  the  water  to  impede  her  progress.  A  small  skiff,  oc- 
cupied by  a  boy,  was  towing  under  the  lee,  and  as  the  mass 
of  the  vessel  began  to  move,  it  was  skipping  along  the  sur- 
face of  the  water,  light  and  buoyant  as  a  feather.  Perceiv- 
ing it  was  a  boat  belonging  to  the  shore,  Wilder  walked  for- 
ward, and  demanded  who  was  its  owner.  A  mate  pointed  to 
Joram,  who  at  that  moment  ascended  from  the  interior  of  the 
vessel,  where  he  had  been  settling  the  balance  due  from  a 
delinquent,  or  what  was  in  his  eyes  the  same  thing,  a  de- 
parting debtor. 

The  sight  of  this  man  recalled  Wilder  to  a  recollection  of 
all  that  had  occurred  that  morning,  and  of  the  whole  deli- 
cacy of  the  task  he  had  undertaken  to  perform.  But  the 
publican,  whose  ideas  appeared  always  concentrated  when 


1 82  THE    RED    ROVER. 

occupied  on  the  subject  of  gain,  seemed  troubled  by  no 
particular  emotions  at  the  interview.  He  approached  the 
young  mariner,  and  saluting  him  by  the  title  of  "  Captain," 
wished  him  a  good  voyage,  with  the  customary  compliments 
which  seamen  express,  when  about  to  separate  on  such  an 
occasion. 

"A  lucky  trip  you  have  made  of  it,  Captain  Wilder,"  he 
concluded,  u  and  I  hope  your  passage  will  be  short.  You'll 
not  be  without  a  breeze  this  afternoon ;  and,  by  stretching 
well  over  toward  Montauk,  you'll  be  able  to  make  such  an 
offing,  on  the  other  tack,  as  to  run  the  coast  down  in  the 
morning.  If  I  am  any  judge  of  the  weather,  the  wind  will 
have  more  easting  in  it  than  you  may  happen  to  find  to  your 
fancy." 

"And  how  long  do  you  think  my  voyage  is  likely  to 
last?"  demanded  Wilder,  dropping  his  voice  so  low  as  to 
reach  no  ear  but  that  of  the  publican. 

Joram  cast  a  furtive  glance  aside ;  perceiving  that  they 
were  alone,  he  suffered  an  expression  of  hardened  cunning 
to  take  possession  of  a  countenance  that  ordinarily  seemed 
set  in  dull,  physical  contentment,  and  laying  a  finger  on  his 
nose,  he  muttered: 

"  Didn't  I  tender  the  consignee  a  beautiful  oath,  Master 
Wilder?" 

"  You  certainly  exceeded  my  expectations  with  your 
promptitude,  and 

"  Information !"  added  the  landlord  of  the  "  Foul  Anchor," 
perceiving  the  other  a  little  at  a  loss  for  a  word.  "  Yes,  I 
have  always  been  remarkable  for  the  activity  of  my  mind  in 
these  matters;  but,  when  a  man  once  knows  a  thing  thor- 
oughly, it  is  a  great  folly  to  spend  his  breath  in  words." 

"  It  is  certainly  a  great  advantage  to  be  thoroughly  in- 
structed. I  suppose  you  improve  your  knowledge  to  a  good 
account?" 

"  Ah!  bless  me,  Master  Wilder,  what  would  become  of  us 
all,  in  these  difficult  times,  if  we  did  not  turn  an  honest 


THE    RED    ROVER.  183 

penny  in  every  way  that  offers?  I  have  brought  up  several 
fine  children  in  credit,  and  it  sha'n't  be  my  fault  if  I  don't 
leave  them  something,  too,  besides  my  good  name.  Well, 
well,  they  say,  'A  nimble  sixpence  is  as  good  as  a  lazy  shil- 
ling'; but  give  me  the  man  who  don't  stand  shilly-shally 
when  a  friend  has  need  of  his  good  word,  or  a  lift  from  his 
hand.  You  always  know  where  to  find  such  a  man,  as  our 
politicians  say,  after  they  have  gone  through  thick  and  thin 
in  the  cause,  be  it  right  or  be  it  wrong." 

"  Very  commendable  principles !  and  such  as  will  surely 
be  the  means  of  exalting  you  in  the  world  sooner  or  later! 
But  you  forget  to  answer  my  question — Will  the  passage  be 
long  or  short?" 

"Heaven  bless  you,  Master  Wilder!  Is  it  for  a  poor 
publican,  like  me,  to  tell  the  master  of  this  noble  ship 
which  way  the  wind  will  blow  next?  There  is  the  worthy 
and  notable  Commander  Nichols,  lying  in  his  stateroom 
below,  he  could  do  anything  with  the  vessel ;  and  why  am  I 
to  expect  that  a  gentleman  so  well  recommended  as  yourself 
will  do  less?  I  expect  to  hear  that  you  have  made  a  famous 
run,  and  have  done  credit  to  the  good  word  I  have  had  occa- 
sion to  say  in  your  favor." 

Wilder  execrated,  in  his  heart,  the  wary  cunning  of  the 
rogue  with  whom  he  was  compelled,  for  the  moment,  to  be 
in  league;  for  he  saw  plainly  that  a  determination  not  to 
commit  himself  a  tittle  further  than  he  might  conceive  to  be 
absolutely  necessary,  was  likely  to  render  Joram  too  circum- 
spect to  answer  his  own  immediate  wishes.  After  hesitat- 
ing a  moment,  to  reflect,  he  continued,  hastily: 

"You  see  that  the  ship  is  gathering  way  too  fast  to  admit 
of  trifling.  You  know  of  the  letter  I  received  this  morning?" 

"  Bless  me,  Captain  Wilder!  Do  you  take  me  for  a  post- 
master? How  should  I  know  what  letters  arrive  at  New- 
port, and  what  stop  on  the  main?" 

"As  timid  a  villain  as  he  is  thorough!"  muttered  the 
young  mariner.  "  But  this  much  you  may  surely  say,  am  I 


184  THE   RED    ROVER. 

to  be  followed  immediately?  or  is  it  expected  that  I  shall 
detain  the  ship  in  the  offing,  under  any  pretence  that  I  can 
devise?" 

"  Heaven  keep  you,  young  gentleman !  These  are  strange 
questions,  coming  from  one  who  is  fresh  off  the  sea  to  a 
man  that  has  done  no  more  than  look  at  it  from  the  land 
these  five-and-twenty  years.  According  to  my  memory,  sir, 
you  will  keep  the  ship  about  south  until  you  are  clear  of  the 
islands;  and  then  you  must  make  your  calculations  accord- 
ing to  the  wind,  in  order  not  to  get  into  the  Gulf,  where,  you 
know,  the  stream  will  be  setting  you  one  way,  while  your 
orders  say  'Go  another.'  " 

"Luff!  mind  your  luff,  sir!"  cried  the  pilot,  in  a  reprov- 
ing voice,  to  the  man  at  the  helm ;  "  luff  you  can ;  on  no 
account  go  to  leeward  of  the  slaver !" 

Wilder  and  the  publican  started,  as  if  they  both  found 
something  alarming  in  the  proximity  of  the  vessel  just 
named;  and  the  former  pointed  to  the  skiff,  as  he  said: 

"  Unless  you  wish  to  go  to  sea  with  us,  Mr.  Joram,  it  is 
time  your  boat  held  its  master." 

"  Ay,  ay,  I  see  you  are  fairly  under  way,  and  I  must  leave 
you,  however  much  I  like  your  company,"  returned  the  land- 
lord of  the  Foul  Anchor,  bustling  over  the  side,  and  getting 
into  his  skiff  in  the  best  manner  he  could. 

"Well,  boys,  a  good  time  to  ye;  a  plenty  of  wind,  and  of 
the  right  sort,  a  safe  passage  out,  and  a  quick  return.  Cast 
off." 

His  order  was  obeyed:  the  light  skiff,  no  longer  impelled 
by  the  ship,  immediately  deviated  from  its  course ;  and,  af- 
ter making  a  little  circuit,  it  became  stationary,  while  the 
mass  of  the  vessel  passed  on  with  the  steadiness  of  an  ele- 
phant from  whose  back  a  butterfly  had  just  taken  its  flight. 
Wilder  followed  the  boat  with  his  eyes,  for  a  moment;  but 
his  thoughts  were  recalled  by  the  voice  of  the  pilot,  who 
again  called,  from  the  forward  part  of  the  ship: 

"Let  the  light  sails  lift  a  little,  boy;  let  them  lift,  I  say, 


THE    RED    ROVER.  185 

keep  every  inch  you  can,  or  you'll  not  weather  the  slaver. 
Luff,  I  say,  sir;  luff." 

"The  slaver!"  muttered  our  adventurer,  hastening  to  a 
part  of  the  ship  whence  he  could  command  a  view  of  that 
important,  and,  to  him,  doubly  interesting  ship;  "ay,  the 
slaver!  it  may  be  difficult,  indeed,  to  weather  upon  the 
slaver!'7 

He  had  unconsciously  placed  himself  near  Mrs.  Wyllys 
and  Gertrude,  the  latter  of  whom  was  leaning  on  the  rail  of 
the  quarter-deck,  regarding  the  strange  vessel  at  anchor  with 
a  pleasure  far  from  unnatural  to  her  years. 

"  You  may  laugh  at  me,  and  call  me  fickle  and  perhaps 
credulous,  dear  Mrs.  Wyllys,"  the  unsuspecting  girl  said, 
just  as  Wilder  took  the  position  mentioned,  "  but  I  wish  we 
were  well  out  of  this  Royal  Caroline,  and  that  our  passage 
was  to  be  made  in  yonder  beautiful  ship." 

"It  is  indeed  a  beautiful  ship!"  returned  Wyllys ;  "but  I 
know  not  that  it  would  be  safer,  or  more  comfortable,  than 
the  one  we  are  in." 

"  With  what  symmetry  and  order  the  ropes  are  arranged ! 
and  how  like  a  bird  it  floats  upon  the  water!" 

"  Had  you  particularized  the  duck,  the  comparison  would 
have  been  nautical,"  said  the  governess,  smiling  mournfully; 
"you  show  capabilities,  my  love,  to  become  one  day  a  sea- 
man's wife." 

Gertrude  blushed  a  little ;  and,  turning  back  her  head  to 
answer  in  the  playful  vein  of  her  governess,  her  eye  met  the 
look  of  Wilder  fastened  on  herself.  The  color  on  her  cheek 
deepened  to  carnation,  and  she  was  mute ;  the  large  gypsy 
hat  she  wore  serving  to  conceal  both  her  face  and  the  con- 
fusion which  suffused  it. 

"  You  make  no  answer,  child,  as  if  you  reflected  seriously 
on  the  chances,"  continued  Mrs.  Wyllys,  whose  thoughtful 
and  abstracted  mien,  however,  proved  she  scarcely  knew 
what  she  uttered. 

"  The  sea  is  too  unstable  an  element  for  my  taste,"  Ger- 


1 86  THE  RED   ROVER. 

trude  coldly  answered.  "  Pray  tell  me,  Mrs.  Wyllys,  if  the 
vessel  we  are  approaching  is  a  king's  ship?  She  has  a  war- 
like, not  to  say  a  threatening,  exterior." 

"  The  pilot  has  twice  called  her  a  slaver." 

"  A  slaver!  How  deceitful  is  all  her  beauty  and  symme- 
try !  I  will  never  trust  to  appearances  again,  since  so  lovely 
an  object  can  be  devoted  to  so  vile  a  purpose." 

"  Deceitful,  indeed!"  said  Wilder  aloud,  under  an  impulse 
that  he  found  as  irresistible  as  it  was  involuntary.  "  1  will 
take  upon  myself  to  say,  that  a  more  treacherous  vessel  does 
not  float  the  ocean,  than  yonder  finely  proportioned  and  ad- 
mirably equipped " 

"  Slaver!"  added  Mrs,  Wyllys,  who  had  time  to  turn,  and 
to  look  her  astonishment,  before  the  young  man  appeared 
disposed  to  finish  his  sentence. 

"Slaver!"  he  said,  with  emphasis,  bowing  at  the  same 
time,  as  if  to  thank  her  for  the  word. 

After  this  interruption  there  was  a  profound  silence. 
Mrs.  Wyllys  studied  the  disturbed  features  of  the  young  man 
for  a  moment,  with  a  countenance  that  denoted  a  singular, 
though  a  complicated,  interest;  and  then  she  gravely  bent 
her  eyes  on  the  water,  deeply  occupied  with  intense  and 
painful  reflection.  The  light  symmetrical  form  of  Gertrude 
continued  leaning  on  the  rail,  it  is  true,  but  Wilder  was  un- 
able to  catch  another  glimpse  of  her  averted  face.  In  the 
mean  while,  events  that  were  of  a  character  to  withdraw  his 
attention  from  even  so  pleasing  a  study,  were  hastening  to 
their  accomplishment. 

The  ship,  by  this  time,  had  passed  between  the  little 
island  and  the  point  where  Homespun  embarked,  and  she 
might  now  be  said  to  have  fairly  left  the  inner  harbor.  The 
slaver  lay  directly  in  her  track,  and  every  man  in  the  vessel 
was  watching  with  interest,  to  see  whether  they  would  be 
able  to  pass  her  weather-beam.  The  measure  was  desirable, 
because  a  seaman  has  a  pride  in  keeping  on  the  honorable 
side  of  everything  he  encounters,  but  chiefly  because,  from 


THE    RED    ROVER.  l8/ 

the  position  of  the  stranger,  it  would  be  the  means  of  pre- 
venting the  necessity  of  tacking  before  the  Caroline  reached 
a  point  more  advantageous  for  such  a  manoeuvre.  The 
reader  will,  however,  readily  understand  that  the  interest  of 
her  new  commander  took  its  rise  in  feelings  very  different 
from  professional  pride,  or  momentary  convenience. 

Wilder  felt,  in  every  nerve,  the  probability  that  a  crisis 
was  at  hand.  It  will  be  remembered  that  he  was  profoundly 
ignorant  of  the  immediate  intentions  of  the  Rover.  As  the 
fort  was  not  in  a  state  for  service,  it  would  not  be  difficult 
for  the  latter  "to  seize  upon  his  prey  in  open  view  of  the 
townsmen,  and  bear  it  off,  in  contempt  of  their  feeble  means 
of  defence.  The  position  of  the  two  ships  was  favorable  to 
such  an  enterprise.  Unprepared  and  unsuspecting,  the  Car- 
oline, at  no  time  a  match  for  her  powerful  adversary,  must 
fall  an  easy  victim;  nor  would  there  be  much  reason  to  ap- 
prehend that  a  single  shot  from  the  battery  could  reach 
them,  before  the  captor  and  his  prize  would  be  at  such  a 
distance  as  to  render  the  blow  next  to  impotent,  if  not  ut- 
terly innocuous.  The  wild  and  audacious  character  of  such 
an  enterprise  was  in  accordance  with  the  reputation  of  the 
desperate  freebooter,  on  whose  caprice,  alone,  the  act  now 
seemed  solely  to  depend. 

Under  these  impressions,  and  with  the  prospect  of  such  a 
speedy  termination  to  his  new-born  authority,  it  is  not  to  be 
considered  wonderful  that  our  adventurer  awaited  the  result 
with  an  interest  greatly  exceeding  that  of  any  of  those  by 
whom  he  was  surrounded.  He  walked  into  the  waist  of  the 
ship,  and  endeavored  to  read  the  plan  of  his  secret  confed- 
erates, by  some  of  those  indications  that  are  familiar  to  a 
seaman.  Not  the  smallest  sign  of  any  intention  to  depart, 
or  in  any  manner  to  change  her  position,  was  discoverable 
in  the  pretended  slaver.  She  lay  in  the  same  deep,  beauti- 
ful, but  treacherous  quiet,  as  that  in  which  she  had  reposed 
throughout  the  whole  of  the  eventful  morning.  But  a  soli- 
tary individual  could  be  seen  amid  the  mazes  of  her  rigging, 


1 88  THE    RED    ROVER. 

or  along  the  wide  reaches  of  her  spars.  It  was  a  seaman 
seated  on  the  extremity  of  a  lower  yard,  where  he  appeared 
to  busy  himself  with  one  of  those  repairs  that  are  so  con- 
stantly required  in  the  gear  of  a  ship.  As  the  man  was 
placed  on  the  weather-side  of  his  own  vessel,  Wilder  in- 
stantly conceived  the  idea  that  he  was  thus  stationed  to  cast 
a  grapnel  into  the  rigging  of  the  Caroline,  should  such  a 
measure  become  necessary,  in  order  to  bring  the  two  ships 
foul  of  each  other.  With  the  view  to  prevent  so  rude  an 
encounter,  he  instantly  determined  to  defeat  the  plan.  Call- 
ing to  the  pilot,  he  told  him  the  attempt  to  pass  to  wind- 
ward was  of  very  doubtful  success,  and  reminded  him  that 
the  safer  way  would  be  to  go  to  leeward. 

"  No  fear,  no  fear,  captain,"  returned  the  stubborn  con- 
ductor of  the  ship,  who,  as  his  authority  was  so  brief,  was 
only  the  more  jealous  of  its  unrestrained  exercise,  and  who, 
like  the  usurper  of  a  throne,  felt  a  jealousy  of  the  more  le- 
gitimate power  which  he  had  temporarily  dispossessed;  "  no 
fear  of  me,  captain.  I  have  trolled  over  this  ground  oftener 
than  you  have  crossed  the  ocean,  and  I  know  the  name  of 
every  rock  on  the  bottom,  as  well  as  the  town-crier  knows 
the  streets  of  Newport.  Let  her  luff,  boy ;  luff  her  into  the 
very  eye  of  the  wind ;  luff,  you  can — 

"You  have  the  ship  shivering  as  it  is,  sir;  should  you 
get  us  foul  of  the  slaver,  who  is  to  pay  the  cost?" 

"  I  am  a  general  underwriter,"  returned  the  opinionated 
pilot;  "my  wife  shall  mend  every  hole  I  make  in  your  sails 
with  a  needle  no  bigger  than  a  hair,  and  with  such  a  palm 
as  a  fairy's  thimble!" 

"  This  is  fine  talking,  sir,  but  you  are  already  losing  the 
ship's  way;  and,  before  you  have  ended  your  boasts,  she 
will  be  as  fast  in  irons  as  a  condemned  thief.  Keep  the 
sails  full,  boy;  keep  them  a  rap  full,  sir." 

"Ay,  ay,  keep  her  a  good  full,"  echoed  the  pilot,  who,  as 
the  difficulty  of  passing  to  windward  became  more  obvious, 
began  to  waver  in  his  resolution.  "  Keep  her  full-and-by — 


THE    RED    ROVER.  189 

I  have  always  told  you  full-and-by. — I  don't  know,  captain, 
seeing  that  the  wind  has  hauled  a  little,  but  we  shall  have 
to  pass  to  leeward  yet;  you  will  acknowledge  that,  in  such 
case,  we  shall  be  obliged  to  go  about." 

Now,  in  point  of  fact,  the  wind,  though  a  little  lighter 
than  it  had  been,  was,  if  anything,  a  trifle  more  favorable; 
nor  had  Wilder  ever,  in  any  manner,  denied  that  the  ship 
would  not  have  to  tack  some  twenty  minutes  sooner,  by  go- 
ing to  leeward  of  the  other  vessel,  than  if  she  had  succeeded 
in  her  delicate  experiment  of  passing  on  the  more  honorable 
side;  but,  as  thevulgarest  minds  are  always  the  most  reluc- 
tant to  confess  their  blunders,  the  discomfited  pilot  was  dis- 
posed to  qualify  the  concession  he  found  himself  compelled 
to  make,  by  some  salve  of  the  sort,  that  he  might  not  lessen 
his  reputation  for  foresight  among  his  auditors. 

"  Keep  her  away  at  once,"  cried  Wilder,  who  was  begin- 
ning to  change  the  tones  of  remonstrance  for  those  of  com- 
mand; "  keep  the  ship  away,  sir,  while  you  have  room  to  do 
it,  or,  by  the " 

His  lips  became  motionless;  for  his  eye  happened  to  fall 
on  the  pale  features  of  the  frightened  Gertrude. 

"I  believe  it  must  be  done,  seeing  that  the  wind  is  haul- 
ing. Hard  up,  boy,  and  run  her  under  the  stern  of  the  ship 
at  anchor.  Hold!  keep  your  luff  again;  eat  into  the  wind 
to  the  bone,  boy;  lift  again;  let  the  light  sails  lift.  The 
slaver  has  run  a  warp  directly  across  our  track.  If  there's 
law  in  the  Plantations,  I'll  have  her  captain  before  the 
courts  for  this!" 

"What  does  the  fellow  mean?"  demanded  Wilder,  jump- 
ing hastily  on  a  gun,  to  get  a  better  view. 

His  mate  pointed  to  the  lee-quarter  of  the  other  vessel, 
where,  sure  enough,  a  large  rope  was  seen  whipping  the 
water,  in  the  very  process  of  being  extended.  The  truth 
instantly  flashed  on  the  mind  of  our  young  mariner.  The 
Rover  lay  secretly  moored  with  a  spring,  with  a  view  to 
bring  his  guns  more  readily  to  bear  upon  the  battery  should 


THE    RED    ROVER. 

his  defence  become  necessary,  and  he  now  profited  by  the 
circumstance,  in  order  to  prevent  the  trader  from  passing  to 
leeward.  The  whole  arrangement  excited  a  good  deal  of 
surprise,  and  not  a  few  execrations  among  the  officers  of  the 
Caroline,  though  none  but  her  commander  had  the  smallest 
twinkling  of  the  real  reason  why  the  kedge  had  thus  been 
laid,  and  why  a  warp  was  so  awkwardly  stretched  across 
their  path.  Of  the  whole  number,  the  pilot  alone  saw  cause 
to  rejoice  in  ..the  circumstance.  He  had,  in  fact,  got  the 
ship  in  such  a  situation  as  to  render  it  nearly  as  difficult  to 
proceed  in  one  way  as  in  the  other;  and  he  was  now  fur- 
nished with  a  sufficient  justification,  should  any  accident 
occur,  in  the  course  of  the  exceedingly  critical  manoeuvre, 
from  whose  execution  there  was  now  no  retreat. 

"This  is  an  extraordinary  liberty  to  take  in  the  mouth  of 
a  harbor,"  muttered  Wilder,  when  his  eyes  put  him  in  pos- 
session of  the  fact  just  related.  "You  must  shove  her  by 
to  windward,  pilot;  there  is  no  remedy." 

"  I  wash  my  hands  of  the  consequences,  as  I  call  all  on 
board  to  witness,"  returned  the  other,  with  an  air  of  an 
offended  man,  though  secretly  glad  of  the  appearance  of  be- 
ing driven  to  the  very  measure  he  was  a  minute  before  so 
obstinately  bent  on  executing.  "Law  must  be  called  in 
here,  if  sticks  are  snapped  or  rigging  parted.  Luff  to  a 
hair,  boy;  luff  her  short  into  the  wind,  and  try  a  half- 
board." 

The  man  at  the  helm  obeyed  the  order.  Releasing  his 
hold  of  its  spokes,  the  wheel  made  a  quick  revolution;  and 
the  ship,  feeling  a  fresh  impulse  of  the  wind,  turned  her 
head  heavily  toward  the  quarter  whence  it  came,  the  canvas 
fluttering  with  a  noise  like  that  produced  by  a  flock  of  water- 
fowl taking  wing.  But,  met  by  the  helm  again,  she  soon 
fell  off  as  before,  powerless  from  having  lost  her  way,  and 
settling  bodily  down  towards  the  fancied  slaver,  impelled  by 
the  air,  which  seemed  to  have  lost  much  of  its  force  at  the 
critical  instant  it  was  most  needed. 


THE   RED    ROVER.  191 

The  situation  of  the  Caroline  was  one  which  a  seaman 
will  readily  understand.  She  had  forged  so  far  ahead  as  to 
He  directly  on  the  weather-beam  of  the  stranger,  but  too 
near  to  enable  her  to  fall -off  in  the  least,  without  imminent 
danger  that  the  vessels  would  fall  foul  of  each  other.  The 
wind  was  inconstant,  sometimes  blowing  in  puffs,  while  at 
moments  there  was  a  lull.  As  the  ship  felt  the  former,  her 
tall  masts  bent  gracefully  towards  the  slaver,  as  if  to  make 
the  parting  salute;  but,  relieved  from  the  momentary  pres- 
sure of  the  inconstant  air,  she  as  often  rolled  heavily  to  wind- 
ward without  advancing  a  foot.  The  effect  of  each  change, 
however,  was  to  bring  her  still  nigher  to  her  dangerous 
neighbor,  until  it  became  evident,  to  the  judgment  of  the 
youngest  seaman  in  the  vessel,  that  nothing  but  a  sudden 
shift  of  wind  could  enable  her  to  pass  ahead,  the  more  es- 
pecially as  the  tide  was  on  the  change. 

The  inferior  officers  of  the  Caroline  were  not  delicate  in 
making  their  comments  on  the  dulness  which  had  brought 
them  into  so  awkward  and  so  mortifying  a  position,  and  the 
pilot  endeavored  to  conceal  his  vexation  by  the 'number  and 
vociferousness  of  his  orders.  From  blustering,  he  soon 
passed  into  confusion,  until  the  men  themselves  stood  idle, 
not  knowing  which  of  the  uncertain  and  contradictory  man- 
dates ought  to  be  obeyed.  In  the  mean  time,  Wilder  had 
folded  his  arms  with  an  appearance  of  entire  composure, 
and  taken  his  station  near  his  female  passengers.  Mrs. 
Wyllys  studied  his  eye,  with  the  wish  of  ascertaining  by  its 
expression  the  nature  and  extent  of  their  danger,  if  danger 
there  might  be  in  the  approaching  collision  of  two  ships  in 
water  that  was  perfectly  smooth,  and  where  one  was  sta- 
tionary, and  the  motion  of  the  other  scarcely  perceptible. 
The  stern,  determined  look  she  saw  settling  about  the  brow 
of  the  young  man  excited  an  uneasiness  that  she  would  not 
otherwise  have  felt,  under  circumstances  that,  in  themselves, 
bore  no  very  vivid  appearance  of  hazard. 

"Have  we  aught  to  apprehend,  sir?"  demanded  the  gov- 


192  THE    RED    ROVER. 

erness,  endeavoring  to  conceal  from  her  charge  the  nature 
of  her  own  disquietude. 

"  I  told  you,  madam,  the  Caroline  would  prove  an  unlucky 
ship/' 

Both  females  regarded  the  peculiarly  bitter  smile  with 
which  Wilder  made  this  reply  as  an  evil  omen,  and  Gertrude 
clung  to  her  companion  as  to  one  on  whom  she  had  long 
been  accustomed  to  lean. 

"Why  do  not  the  mariners  of  the  slaver  appear,  to  assist 
us — to  keep  us  from  coming  too  nigh?"  anxiously  demanded 
the  latter. 

"Why  do  they  not,  indeed! — we  shall  see  them,  I  think, 
ere  long." 

"You  speak  and  look,  young  man,  as  if  you  thought  there 
would  be  danger  in  the  interview!" 

"  Keep  near  to  me,"  returned  Wilder,  in  a  voice  that  was 
nearly  smothered  by  the  manner  in  which  he  compressed  his 
lips*.  "  In  every  event,  keep  as  nigh  my  person  as  possible." 

"  Haul  the  spanker-boom  to  windward,"  shouted  the  pilot; 
"  lower  away  the  boats,  and  tow  the  ship's  head  round — clear 
away  the  stream  anchor — aft  gib  sheet — board  main  tack, 
again." 

The  astonished  men  stood  like  statues,  not  knowing 
whither  to  turn,  some  calling  to  the  rest  to  do  this  or  that, 
and  some  as  loudly  countermanding  the  order;  when  an 
authoritative  voice  was  heard  calmly  to  say: 

"  Silence  in  the  ship." 

The  tones  were  of  that  sort  which,  while  they  denote  the 
self-possession  of  the  speaker,  never  fail  to  inspire  the  infe- 
rior with  a  portion  of  the  confidence  of  him  who  commands. 
Every  face  was  turned  towards  the  quarter  of  the  vessel 
whence  the  sound  proceeded,  each  ear  ready  to  catch  the 
smallest  additional  mandate.  Wilder  was  standing  on  the 
head  of  the  capstan,  where  he  could  command  a  full  view 
on  every  side  of  him.  With  a  quick  and  understanding 
glance,  he  had  made  himself  a  perfect  master  of  the  situa- 


THE   RED   ROVER.  193 

tion  of  his  ship.  His  eye  was  at  the  instant  fixed  anxiously 
on  the  slaver,  to  pierce  the  treacherous  calm  which  still 
reigned  on  all  about  her,  in  order  to  know  how  far  his  exer- 
tions might  be  .permitted  to  be  useful.  But  it  appeared  as 
if  the  stranger  lay  like  some  enchanted  vessel  on  the  water, 
not  a  human  form  appearing  about  her  complicated  machin- 
ery, except  the  seaman  already  named,  who  still  continued 
his  employment,  with  as  much  indifference  as  if  the  Caro- 
line was  a  hundred  miles  from  the  place  where  he  sat.  The 
lips  of  Wilder  moved,  whether  in  bitterness  or  in  satisfac- 
tion it  would  be  difficult  to  say;  arid  he  motioned  to  the  at- 
tentive crew  to  be  quick. 

"  Throw  all  aback — lay  everything  flat  to  the  masts,  for- 
ward and  aft,"  he  said. 

"Ay!"  echoed  the  pilot,  "lay  everything  flat  to  the 
masts." 

"Is  there  a  shore-boat  alongside  the  ship?"  demanded 
our  adventurer. 

The  answer,  from  a  dozen  voices,  was  in  the  affirmative. 

"  Show  that  pilot  into  her." 

"This  is  an  unlawful  order,"  exclaimed  the  other;  "I 
forbid  any  voice  but  mine  to  be  obeyed." 

"  Throw  him  in,"  repeated  Wilder. 

Amid  the  bustle  and  exertion  of  bracing  round  the  yards, 
the  resistance  of  the  pilot  produced  little  sensation.  He 
was  raised  on  the  extended  arms  of  the  two  mates,  and  after 
exhibiting  his  limbs  in  sundry  contortions  in  the  air,  he  was 
dropped  into  the  boat,  with  as  little  ceremony  as  a  billet  of 
wood.  The  end  of  the  painter  was  cast  after  him ;  and  the 
discomfited  guide  was  left,  with  singular  indifference,  to  his 
own  meditations. 

In  the  mean  time,  the  order  of  Wilder  was  executed. 
Those  vast  sheets  of  canvas  which,  a  moment  before,  had 
been  either  fluttering  in  the  air,  or  were  bellying  inward  or 
outward  as  they  touched  or  filled,  as  it  is  technically  called, 
were  now  pressing  against  their  respective  masts,  impelling 


194  THE    RED    ROVER. 

the  vessel  to  retrace  her  mistaken  path.  The  manoeuvre  re- 
quired the  utmost  attention,  and  the  nicest  delicacy  in  its 
direction.  But  her  young  commander  proved  himself,  in 
every  particular,  competent  to  the  task.  Here,  a  sail  was 
lifted;  there,  another  was  brought  with  a  flatter  surface  to 
the  air;  now,  the  lighter  canvas  was  spread;  and  now  it 
disappeared,  like  thin  vapor  dispelled  by  the  sun.  The 
voice  of  Wilder  throughout,  though  calm,  was  breathing 
with  authority.  The  ship  itself  seemed  like  an  animated 
being,  conscious  that  her  destinies  were  reposed  in  different, 
and  more  intelligent,  hands  than  before.  Obedient  to  the 
new  impulse  they  had  received,  the  immense  clouds  of  can- 
vas, with  the  tall  forest  of  spars  and  rigging,  rolled  to  and 
fro;  and  then,  having  overcome  its  state  of  rest,  the  vessel 
heavily  yielded  to  the  pressure  and  began  to  recede. 

Throughout  the  whole  of  the  time  necessary  to  extricate 
the  Caroline,  the  attention  of  Wilder  was  divided  between 
his  own  ship  and  his  inexplicable  neighbor.  Not  a  sound 
was  heard  to  issue  from  the  imposing  stillness  of  the  latter. 
Not  a  single  anxious  countenance,  not  even  one  lurking  eye, 
was  to  be  detected,  at  any  of  the  numerous  outlets  by  which 
the  inmates  of  an  armed  vessel  can  look  abroad  upon  the 
deep.  The  seaman  on  the  yard  continued  his  labor,  like  a 
man  unconscious  of  anything  but  his  own  employment. 
There  was,  however,  a  slow,  though  nearly  imperceptible 
motion  in  the  ship  itself,  which  was  apparently  made,  like 
the  lazy  movement  of  a  slumbering  whale,  more  by  listless 
volition,  than  through  any  agency  of  human  hands. 

Not  the  smallest  of  these  changes  escaped  the  keen  exam- 
ination of  Wilder.  He  saw,  that  as  his  own  ship  retired, 
the  side  of  the  slaver  was  gradually  exposed  to  the  Caroline. 
The  muzzles  of  the  threatening  guns  gaped  constantly  on 
his  vessel,  as  the  eye  of  the  crouching  tiger  follows  the 
movement  of  its  prey;  and  at  no  time,  while  nearest,  did 
there  exist  a  single  instant  that  the  decks  of  the  latter  ship 
could  not  haye  been  swept  by  a  general  discharge  from  the 


THE   RED    ROVER.  195 

battery  of  the  former.  As  each  successive  order  issued  from 
his  own  lips,  our  adventurer  turned  his  eye  with  increasing 
interest  to  ascertain  whether  he  would  be  permitted  to  exe- 
cute it;  and  never  did  he  feel  certain  that  he  was  left  to  the 
sole  management  of  the  Caroline,  until  he  found  that  she 
had  backed  from  her  dangerous  proximity  to  the  other,  and 
that,  obedient  to  a  new  disposition  of  her  sails,  she  was  fall- 
ing off  before  the  light  air,  in  a  place  where  he  could  hold 
her  entirely  at  command. 

Finding  that  the  tide  was  getting  unfavorable,  and  the 
wind  too  light  to  stem  it,  the  sails  were  drawn  to  the  yards, 
and  an  anchor  was  dropped. 


CHAPTER   XIII. 

What  have  we  here  ?    A  man  or  a  fish  ? 

The  Tempest. 

THE  Caroline  now  lay  within  a  cable's  length  of  the  sup- 
posed slaver.  In  dismissing  the  pilot,  Wilder  had  assumed 
a  responsibility  from  which  a  seaman  usually  shrinks; 
since,  in  the  case  of  any  untoward  accident  in  leaving  the 
port,  it  would  involve  a  loss  of  insurance,  and  his  own  prob- 
able punishment.  How  far  he  had  been  influenced  in  tak- 
ing so  decided  a  step  by  a  knowledge  of  his  being  beyond 
or  above  the  reach  of  the  law,  will  be  made  manifest  in  the 
course  of  the  narrative;  the  only  immediate  effect  of  the 
measure  was  to  draw  the  whole  of  his  attention,  which  had 
before  been  so  much  divided  between  his  passengers  and  the 
ship,  to  the  care  of  the  latter.  But  so  soon  as  his  vessel  was 
secured  for  a  time  at  least,  and  his  mind  was  no  longer  ex- 
cited by  the  expectation  of  a  scene  of  immediate  violence, 
our  adventurer  found  leisure  to  return  to  his  former  occupa- 
tion. The  success  of  his  delicate  manoeuvre  had  imparted 
to  his  countenance  a  glow  of  something  like  triumph,  and 


196  THE    RED    ROVER. 

his  step  as  he  advanced  towards  Mrs.  Wyllys  and  Gertrude 
was  that  of  a  man  who  enjoyed  the  consciousness  of  having 
acquitted  himself  dexterously  in  circumstances  that  required 
no  small  exhibition  of  professional  skill.  At  least  such  was 
the  construction  the  former  lady  put  upon  his  kindling  eye 
and  exulting  air;  though  the  latter  might,  possibly,  be  dis- 
posed to  judge  of  his  motives  with  greater  indulgence. 
Both,  however,  were  ignorant  of  the  true  reasons  of  his  self- 
felicitation,  for  a  sentiment  more  generous  than  either  of 
them  could  imagine  had  a  full  share  in  his  present  feelings. 

Let  the  cause  of  his  exultation  be  what  it  would,  Wilder 
no  sooner  saw  the  Caroline  swinging  to  her  anchor,  and  that 
his  services  were  of  no  further  immediate  use,  than  he 
sought  an  opportunity  to  renew  a  conversation  which  had 
hitherto  been  so  vague  and  so  often  interrupted.  Mrs. 
Wyllys  had  been  viewing  the  neighboring  vessel  with  a 
steady  look;  nor  did  she  now  turn  her  gaze  from  the  mo- 
tionless and  silent  object,  until  the  young  mariner  was  near 
her  person.  She  was  then  the  first  to  speak. 

"  Yonder  vessel  must  possess  an  extraordinary,  not  to  say 
an  insensible  crew!"  exclaimed  the  governess,  in  a  tone  bor- 
dering on  astonishment.  "  If  such  things  were,  it  would 
not  be  difficult  to  fancy  her  a  spectre  ship." 

"  She  is  truly  an  admirably  proportioned  and  a  beautifully 
equipped  trader!" 

"  Did  my  apprehensions  deceive  me?  or  were  we  in  actual 
danger  of  getting  the  two  vessels  entangled?" 

"There  was  certainly  some  reason  for  apprehension;  but 
we  are  now  safe." 

"  For  which  we  have  to  thank  your  skill.  The  manner  in 
which  you  have  just  extricated  us  from  the  late  danger  has 
a  direct  tendency  to  contradict  all  that  you  have  foretold  of 
that  which  is  to  come." 

"  I  well  know  that  my  conduct  may  bear  an  unfavorable 
construction,  but " 

"  You  thought  it  no  harm  to  laugh  at  the  weakness  of 


THE   RED    ROVER.  197 

three  credulous  females,"  resumed  Mrs.  Wyllys,  smiling. 
"  You  have  had  your  amusement,  and  now,  I  hope,  you  will 
be  more  disposed  to  pity  what  is  said  to  be  a  natural  infirm- 
ity of  woman's  mind." 

The  governess  glanced  her  eye  at  Gertrude,  with  an  ex- 
pression that  seemed  to  say  it  would  be  cruel  to  trifle  fur- 
ther with  the  apprehensions  of  one  so  innocent  and  so  young. 
The  look  of  Wilder  followed  her  own;  and  he  answered  with 
a  sincerity  that  was  well  calculated  to  carry  conviction : 

"On  the  faith  which  a  gentleman  owes  to  all  of  your  sex, 
madam,  what  I  have  already  told  you  I  continue  to  believe." 

"The  gammonings  and  the  top-gallant  masts!" 

"  No,  no,"  interrupted  the  young  mariner,  slightly  laugh- 
ing, and  at  the  same  time  coloring  a  good  deal;  "perhaps 
not  all  of  that.  But  neither  mother,  wife,  nor  sister  of  mine, 
should  make  this  passage  in  the  Royal  Caroline." 

"  Your  look,  your  voice,  and  your  air  of  good  faith,  form 
a  strange  contradiction  to  your  words,  young  man ;  for,  while 
the  former  almost  tempt  me  to  believe  you  honest,  the  latter 
have  not  a  shade  of  reason  to  support  them.  Perhaps  I 
ought  to  be  ashamed  of  such  a  weakness,  and  yet  I  will 
acknowledge  that  the  mysterious  quiet  which  seems  to  have 
settled  forever  on  yonder  ship  has  excited  an  inexplicable 
uneasiness,  that  may  in  some  way  be  connected  with  her 
character.  She  is  certainly  a  slaver?" 

"She  is  certainly  be-autiful!"  exclaimed  Gertrude. 

"Very  beautiful!"  Wilder  rejoined. 

"There  is  a  man  still  seated  on  one  of  her  yards,  who  ap- 
pears to  be  entranced  in  his  occupation,"  continued  Mrs. 
Wyllys,  leaning  her  chin  thoughtfully  on  a  hand,  as  she 
gazed  at  the  object  of  which  she  was  speaking.  "  Not  once, 
during  the  time  we  were  in  so  much  danger  of  getting  the 
ships  entangled,  did  that  seaman  bestow  so  much  as  a  stolen 
glance  towards  us.  He  resembles  the  solitary  individual  in 
the  city  of  the  transformed ;  for  not  another  mortal  is  there 
to  keep  him  company,  so  far  as  we  may  discover." 


198  THE    RED    ROVER. 

"  Perhaps  his  comrades  sleep,"  said  Gertrude. 

"  Sleep!  Mariners  do  not  sleep  in  an  hour  and  a  day  like 
this!  Tell  me,  Mr.  Wilder  (you  that  are  a  seaman  should 
know),  is  it  usual  for  the  crew  to  sleep  when  a  strange  vessel 
is  so  nigh — near  even  to  touching,  I  might  almost  say?" 

"  It  is  not." 

"  I  thought  as  much ;  for  I  am  not  an  entire  novice  in 
matters  of  your  daring,  your  hardy,  your  noble  profession!" 
returned  the  governess,  with  emphasis.  "  Had  we  gone  foul 
of  the  slaver,  do  you  think  her  crew  would  have  maintained 
their  apathy?" 

"I  think  not." 

"There  is  something  in  all  this  assumed  tranquillity, 
which  might  induce  one  to  suspect  the  worst.  Is  it  known 
that  any  of  her  crew  have  had  communication  with  the  town 
since  her  arrival?" 

"It  is." 

"  I  have  heard  that  false  colors  have  been  seen  on  the 
coast,  and  that  ships  have  been  plundered,  and  their  people 
and  passengers  maltreated,  during  the  past  summer.  It  is 
even  thought  that  the  famous  Rover  has  tired  of  his  excesses 
on  the  Spanish  Main,  and  that  a  vessel  was  not  long  since 
seen  in  the  Caribbean  Sea,  which  was  thought  to  be  the 
cruiser  of  that  desperate  pirate!" 

Wilder  made  no  reply.  His  eyes,  which  had  been  fastened 
steadily,  though  respectfully,  on  those  of  the  speaker,  fell  to 
the  deck,  and  he  appeared  to  await  her  further  pleasure. 
The  governess  mused  a  moment;  and  then,  with  a  change 
in  the  expression  of  her  countenance  which  proved  that  her 
suspicion  of  the  truth  was  too  light  to  continue  without  fur- 
ther and  better  confirmation,  she  added: 

"  After  all,  the  occupation  of  a  slaver  is  bad  enough,  and 
unhappily  by  far  too  probable,  to  render  it  necessary  to  at- 
tribute any  worse  character  to  the  stranger.  I  would  I  knew 
the  motive  of  your  singular  assertions,  Mr.  Wilder?" 

"  I  cannot  better  explain  them,  madam :  unless  my  man- 


THE   RED    KOVER.  1 99 

ner  produces  its  effect,  I  fail  altogether  in  my  intentions, 
which  at  least  are  sincere." 

"Is  not  the  risk  lessened  by  your  presence?" 

"  Lessened,  but  not  removed." 

Until  now,  Gertrude  had  rather  listened,  as  if  unavoida- 
bly, than  seeming  to  make  one  of  the  party.  But  here  she 
turned  quickly,  and  perhaps  a  little  impatiently,  to  Wilder, 
and  while  her  cheeks  glowed,  she  demanded,  with  a  smile 
that  might  have  brought  even  a  more  obdurate  man  to  his 
confession : 

"  Is  it  forbidden  to  be  more  explicit?" 

The  young  commander  hesitated,  perhaps  as  much  to 
dwell  upon  the  ingenuous  features  of  the  speaker,  as  to  de- 
cide upon  his  answer.  The  color  mounted  into  his  own 
embrowned  cheek,  and  his  eye  lighted  with  a  gleam  of  pleas- 
ure; then,  suddenly  reminded  that  he  was  delaying  to  reply, 
he  said: 

"  I  am  certain,  that  in  relying  on  your  discretion,  I  shall 
be  safe." 

"  Doubt  not,"  returned  Mrs.  Wyllys.  "  In  no  event  shall 
you  ever  be  betrayed." 

"  Betrayed !  For  myself,  madam,  I  have  little  fear.  If 
you  suspect  me  of  personal  apprehension,  you  do  me  great 
injustice." 

"We  suspect  you  of  nothing  unworthy,"  said  Gertrude, 
hastily;  "but — we  are  very  anxious  for  ourselves." 

"Then  will  I  relieve  your  uneasiness,  though  at  the  ex- 
pense of " 

A  call,  from  one  of  the  mates  to  the  other,  arrested  his 
words  for  the  moment,  and  drew  his  attention  to  the  other 
ship. 

"  The  slaver's  people  have  just  found  out  that  their  ship 
is  not  made  to  put  in  a  glass  case,  to  be  looked  at  by  women 
and  children,"  cried  the  speaker,  in  tones  loud  enough  to 
send  his  words  into  the  fore-top,  where  the  messmate  he  ad- 
dressed was  attending  to  some  especial  duty. 


20O  THE   RED   ROVER. 

"Ay,  ay,"  was  the  answer;  " seeing  us  in  motion  has  put 
him  in  mind  of  his  next  voyage.  They  keep  watch  aboard 
the  fellow,  like  the  sun  in  Greenland;  six  months  on  deck, 
and  six  months  below!" 

The  witticism  produced,  as  usual,  a  laugh  among  the  sea- 
men, who  continued  their  remarks  in  a  similar  vein,  but  in 
tones  more  suited  to  the  deference  due  their  superiors. 

The  eyes  of  Wilder,  however,  had  fastened  on  the  other 
ship.  The  man  so  long  seated  on  the  end  of  the  mainyard 
had  disappeared,  and  another  sailor  was  deliberately  walk- 
ing along  the  opposite  quarter  of  the  same  spar,  steadying 
himself  by  the  boom,  and  holding  in  one  hand  the  end  of  a 
rope,  which  he  was  apparently  about  to  reeve  in  the  place 
where  it  properly  belonged.  The  first  glance  told  Wilder 
that  the  latter  was  Fid,  who  was  so  far  recovered  from  his 
debauch  as  to  tread  the  giddy  height  with  as  much,  if  not 
greater,  steadiness  than  he  would  have  rolled  along  the 
ground,  had  his  duty  called  him  to  terra  firma.  The  coun- 
tenance of  the  young  man,  which,  an  instant  before,  had 
been  flushed  with  excitement,  and  which  was  beaming  with 
the  pleasure  of  an  opening  confidence,  changed  directly  to  a 
look  of  gloom  and  reserve.  Mrs.  Wyllys,  who  had  lost  no 
shade  of  the  varying  expression  of  his  face,  resumed  the 
discourse  with  some  earnestness,  where  he  had  seen  fit  so 
abruptly  to  break  it  off, 

"  You  would  relieve  us,''  she  said, "  at  the  expense  of " 

"  Life,  madam ;  but  not  of  honor." 

"Gertrude,  we  can  now  retire  to  our  cabin,"  observed 
Mrs.  Wyllys,  with  an  air  of  cold  displeasure,  in  which  dis- 
appointment was  a  good  deal  mingled  with  resentment  at 
the  trifling  of  which  she  believed  herself  the  subject.  The 
eye  of  Gertrude  was  no  less  averted  and  distant  than  that  of 
her  governess,  while  the  tint  that  gave  lustre  to  its  beam 
was  brighter,  if  not  quite  so  resentful.  As  they  moved  past 
the  silent  Wilder,  each  dropped  a  distant  salute,  and  then 
our  adventurer  found  himself  the  sole  occupant  of  the  quar- 


THE   RED   ROVER.  2OI 

ter-deck.  While  his  crew  were  busied  in  coiling  ropes  and 
clearing  the  decks,  their  young  commander  leaned  his  head 
on  the  taffrail  (that  part  of  the  vessel  which  the  good  relict 
of  the  rear-admiral  had  so  strangely  confounded  with  a  very 
different  object  in  the  other  end  of  the  ship),  remaining  for 
many  minutes  in  an  attitude  of  abstraction.  From  this  rev- 
erie he  was  at  length  aroused,  by  a  sound  like  that  produced 
by  the  lifting  and  falling  of  a  light  oar  into  the  water. 

Believing  himself  about  to  be  annoyed  by  visitors  from 
the  land,  he  raised  his  head,  casting  a  dissatisfied  glance 
over  the  vessel's  side,  to  see  who  was  approaching. 

A  light  skiff,  such  as  is  commonly  used  by  fishermen  in 
the  bays  and  shallow  waters  of  America,  was  lying  within 
ten  feet  of  the  ship,  and  in  a  position  where  it  was  necessary 
to  take  some  little  pains  in  order  to  observe  it. 

It  was  occupied  by  a  single  man,  whose  back  was  toward 
the  vessel,  and  who  was  apparently  abroad  on  the  ordinary 
business  of  the  owner  of  such  a  boat. 

"  Are  you  in  search  of  rudder-fish,  my  friend,  that  you 
hang  so  closely  under  my  counter?"  demanded  Wilder. 
"  The  bay  is  said  to  be  full  of  delicious  bass  and  other  scaly 
gentlemen,  that  would  far  better  repay  your  trouble." 

"  He  is  well  paid  who  gets  the  bite  he  baits  for,"  returned 
the  other,  turning  his  head,  and  exhibiting  the  cunning  eye 
and  chuckling  countenance  of  old  Bob  Bunt,  as  Wilder's  re- 
cent and  treacherous  confederate  had  announced  his  name 
to  be. 

"  How  now !  Dare  you  trust  yourself  with  me,  in  five- 
fathom  water,  after  the  villainous  trick  you  have  seen 
fit " 

"Hist!  noble  captain,  hist!"  interrupted  Bob,  holding  up 
a  finger  to  repress  the  other's  animation,  and  intimating,  by 
a  sign,  that  their  conference  must  be  held  in  lower  tones; 
"there  is  no  need  to  call  all  hands  to  help  us  through  a  lit- 
tle chat.  In  what  way  have  I  fallen  to  leeward  in  your  fa- 
vor, captain?" 


202  THE   REt)   ROVER. 

"In  what  way,  sirrah!  Did  you  not  receive  money,  to 
give  such  a  character  of  this  ship  to  the  ladies  as  (you  said 
yourself)  would  make  them  sooner  pass  the  night  in  a 
churchyard  than  trust  foot  on  board  her?" 

"  Something  of  the  sort  passed  between  us,  captain ;  but 
you  forget  one-half  of  the  conditions,  and  I  overlooked  the 
other;  I  need  not  tell  so  expert  a  navigator,  that  two  halves 
make  a  whole.  No  wonder,  therefore,  that  the  affair  dropped 
through  between  us." 

"  How!  Do  you  add  falsehood  to  perfidy?  What  part  of 
my  engagement  did  I  neglect?" 

"What  part!"  returned  the  pretended  fisherman,  leisurely 
drawing  in  a  line,  which  the  quick  eye  of  Wilder  saw, 
though  abundantly  provided  with  lead  at  the  end,  was  desti- 
tute of  the  equally  material  implement,  the  hook ;  "  what 
part,  captain !  No  less  a  particular  than  the  second  guinea." 

"  It  was  to  have  been  the  reward  of  a  service  done,  and 
not  an  earnest,  like  its  fellow,  to  induce  you  to  undertake 
the  duty." 

"  Ah !  you  have  helped  me  to  the  very  word  I  wanted.  I 
fancied  it  was  not  in  earnest  like  the  one  I  got,  and  so  I  left 
the  job  half  finished." 

"Half  finished,  scoundrel!  you  never  commenced  what 
you  swore  so  stoutly  to  perform." 

"  Now  are  you  on  as  wrong  a  course,  my  master,  as  if  you 
steered  due  east  to  get  to  the  Pole.  I  religiously  performed 
one  half  of  my  undertaking;  and,  you  will  acknowledge,  I 
was  only  half  paid." 

"You  would  find  it  difficult  to  prove  that  you  even  did 
that  little." 

"  Let  us  look  into  the  log.  I  enlisted  to  walk  up  the  hill 
as  far  as  the  dwelling  of  the  good  admiral's  widow,  and 
there  to  make  certain  alterations  in  my  sentiments,  which  it 
is  not  necessary  to  speak  of  between  us." 

"Which  you  did  not  make;  but,  on  the  contrary,  which 
you  thwarted,  by  telling  an  exactly  contradictory  tale." 


THE    RED    ROVER.  2O3 

"  True." 

"  True,  knave ! — Were  justice  done  you,  an  acquaintance 
with  a  rope's  end  would  be  your  reward." 

"A  squall  of  words! — If  your  ship  steer  as  wild  as  your 
ideas,  captain,  you  will  make  a  crooked  passage  to  the  south. 
Do  you  not  think  it  an  easier  matter  for  an  old  man  like  me 
to  tell  a  few  lies,  than  to  climb  yonder  long  and  heavy  hill? 
In  strict  justice,  more  than  half  my  duty  was  done  when  I 
got  into  the  presence  of  the  believing  widow ;  and  then  I 
concluded  to  refuse  the  half  of  the  reward  that  was  unpaid, 
and  to  take  bounty  from  t'other  side." 

"Villain!"  exclaimed  Wilder,  a  little  blinded  by  resent- 
ment, "  even  your  years  shall  no  longer  protect  you.  For- 
ward, there !  send  a  crew  into  the  jolly  boat,  sir,  and  bring 
me  this  old  fellow  in  the  skiff  on  board  the  ship.  Pay  no 
attention  to  his  outcries;  I  have  an  account  to  settle  with 
him,  that  cannot  be  balanced  without  a  little  noise." 

The  mate  to  whom  this  order  was  addressed,  and  who  had 
answered  the  hail,  jumped  on  the  rail  where  he  got  sight  of 
the  craft  he  was  commanded  to  chase.  In  less  than  a  min- 
ute he  was  in  the  boat,  with  four  men,  and  pulling  round 
the  bows  of  the  ship,  in  order  to  get  on  the  side  necessary 
to  effect  his  object.  The  self-styled  Bob  Bunt  gave  one  or 
two  strokes  with  his  sculls,  and  sent  the  skiff  some  twenty 
or  thirty  fathoms  off,  where  he  lay,  chuckling  like  a  man 
who  saw  only  the  success  of  his  cunning,  without  any  appar- 
ent apprehensions  of  the  consequences.  But  the  moment 
the  boat  appeared  in  view,  he  laid  himself  to  the  work  with 
vigorous  arms,  and  soon  convinced  the  spectators  that  his 
capture  was  not  easily  to  be  achieved. 

For  some  little  time  it  was  doubtful  what  course  the  fugi- 
tive meant  to  take;  for  he  kept  whirling  and  turning  in 
swift  and  sudden  circles,  completely  confusing  and  baffling 
his  pursuers  by  his  skilful  and  light  evolutions.  But,  tiring 
of  this  amusement,  or  perhaps  apprehensive  of  exhausting 
his  own  strength,  which  was  powerfully  and  most  dexter- 


2O4  THE    RED    ROVER. 

ously  exerted,  it  was  not  long  before  he  darted  on  in  a  per- 
fectly straight  line,  taking  the  direction  of  the  Rover. 

The  chase  now  grew  hot  and  earnest,  exciting  the  clamor 
and  applause  of  most  of  the  nautical  spectators.  The  result, 
for  a  time,  seemed  doubtful;  but,  if  anything,  the  jolly  boat, 
though  some  distance  astern,  began  to  gain,  as  it  gradually 
overcame  the  resistance  of  the  water.  In  a  very  few  min- 
utes, however,  the  skiff  shot  under  the  stern  of  the  other 
ship,  and  disappeared,  bringing  the  hull  of  the  vessel  in  a 
line  with  the  Caroline  and  its  course.  The  pursuers  were 
not  long  in  taking  the  same  direction ;  and  then  the  seamen 
of  the  latter  ship  began,  laughingly,  to  climb  the  rigging, 
in  order  to  command  a  view  over  the  intervening  object. 

Nothing,  however,  was  to  be  seen  beyond  but  water,  and 
the  still  more  distant  island  with  its  little  fort.  In  a  few 
minutes  the  crew  of  the  jolly  boat  were  observed  pulling 
back  in  their  path,  returning  slowly,  like  men  who  were  dis- 
appointed. All  crowded  to  the  side  of  the  ship  in  order  to 
hear  the  termination  of  the  adventure;  the  noisy  assem- 
blage even  drawing  the  two  passengers  from  the  cabin  to  the 
deck.  Instead,  however,  of  meeting  the  questions  of  their 
shipmates  with  the  usual  wordy  narrative  of  men  of  their 
condition,  the  crew  of  the  boat  were  silent  and  perplexed. 
Their  officer  sprang  to  the  deck  without  speaking,  and  he 
immedately  sought  his  commander. 

"The  skiff  was  too  light  for  you,  Mr.  Knighthead," 
Wilder  calmly  observed  as  the  other  approached,  having 
never  moved,  himself,  from  the  place  where  he  had  been 
standing  during  the  whole  proceeding. 

"Too  light,  sir!  Are  you  acquainted  with  the  man  who 
pulled  it?" 

"  Not  particularly  well ;  I  only  know  him  for  a  knave." 

"He  should  be  one,  since  he  is  of  the  family  of  the 
devil!" 

"  I  will  take  on  myself  to  say  he  is  as  bad  as  you  appear 
to  think,  though  I  have  little  reason  to  believe  he  has 


THE    RED    ROVER.  205 

any  honesty  to  cast  into  the  sea.  What  has  become  of 
him?" 

"  A  question  easily  asked,  but  hard  to  answer.  In  the 
first  place,  though  an  old  and  a  gray-headed  fellow,  he 
twitched  his  skiff  along  as  if  it  floated  in  air.  We  were  not 
a  minute,  or  two  at  the  most,  behind  him;  but,  when  we  got 
on  the  other  side  of  the  slaver,  boat  and  man  had  vanished !" 

"  He  doubled  her  bows  while  you  were  crossing  the  stern." 

"Did  you  see  him,  then?" 

"  I  confess  we  did  not." 

"It  could  not  be,  sir;  since  we  pulled  far  enough  ahead 
to  examine  on  both  sides  at  once;  besides,  the  people  of 
the  slaver  knew  nothing  of  him." 

"You  saw  the  slaver's  people?" 

"  I  should  have  said  her  man ;  for  there  is  seemingly  but 
one  hand  on  board  her." 

"And  how  was  he  employed?" 

"  He  was  seated  in  the  chains,  and  seerqed  to  have  been 
asleep.  It  is  a  lazy  ship,  sir;  and  one  that  takes  more 
money  from  her  owners,  I  fancy,  than  it  ever  returns!" 

"  It  may  be  so.  Well,  let  the  rogue  escape.  There  is  the 
prospect  of  a  breeze  coming  in  from  the  sea,  Mr.  Earing; 
we  will  get  our  topsails  to  the  mast-heads  again,  and  be  in 
readiness  for  it.  I  could  like  yet  to  see  the  sun  set  in  the 
water." 

The  mates  and  the  crew  went  cheerfully  to  their  task, 
though  many  a  curious  question  was  asked  by  the  wondering 
seamen,  of  their  shipmates  who  had  been  in  the  boat,  and 
many  a  solemn  answer  was  given,  while  they  were  again 
spreading  the  canvas  to  invite  the  breeze.  Wilder  turned, 
in  the  mean  time,  to  Mrs.  Wyllys,  who  had  been  an  auditor 
of  his  short  conversation  with  the  mate. 

"  You  perceive,  madam,"  he  said,  "  that  our  voyage  does 
not  commence  without  its  omens." 

"  When  you  tell  me,  inexplicable  young  man,  with  the  air 
of  singular  sincerity  you  sometimes  possess,  that  we  are  un- 


2O6  THE   RED    ROVER. 

wise  in  trusting  to  the  ocean,  I  am  half  inclined  to  put 
faith  in  what  you  say;  but  when  you  attempt  to  enforce 
your  advice  with  the  machinery  of  witchcraft,  you  only  in- 
duce me  to  proceed." 

"Man  the  windlass!"  cried  Wilder,  with  a  look  that 
seemed  to  tell  his  companions,  If  you  are  so  stout  of  heart, 
the  opportunity  to  show  your  resolution  shall  not  be  want- 
ing. "Man  the  windlass  there!  We  will  try  the  breeze 
again,  and  work  the  ship  into  the  offing  while  there  is 
light." 

The  clattering  of  handspikes  preceded  the  mariners'  song. 
Then  the  heavy  labor,  by  which  the  ponderous  iron  was 
lifted  from  the  bottom,  was  again  resumed,  and,  in  a  few 
more  minutes,  the  ship  was  once  more  released  from  her 
hold  upon  the  land. 

The  wind  soon  came  fresh  off  the  ocean,  charged  with  the 
saline  dampness  of  the  element.  As  the  air  fell  upon  the 
distended  and  balanced  sails,  the  ship  bowed  to  the  wel- 
come guest;  and  then,  rising  gracefully  from  its  low  incli- 
nation, the  breeze  was  heard  singing,  through  the  maze  of 
rigging,  the  music  that  is  so  grateful  to  a  seaman's  ear. 
The  welcome  sounds,  and  the  freshness  of  the  peculiar  air, 
gave  additional  energy  to  the  movements  of  the  men.  The 
anchor  was  stowed,  the  ship  cast,  the  lighter  sails  set,  the 
courses  had  fallen,  and  the  bows  of  the  Caroline  were  throw- 
ing the  spray  before  her,  ere  ten  minutes  more  had  gone 
by. 

Wilder  had  now  undertaken  the  task  of  running  his  ves- 
sel between  the  islands  of  Conanicut  and  Rhode.  Fortu- 
nately for  the  heavy  responsibility  he  had  assumed,  the 
channel  was  not  difficult,  and  the  wind  had  veered  so  far  to 
the  east  as  to  give  him  a  favorable  opportunity,  after  mak- 
ing a  short  stretch  to  windward,  of  laying  through  in  a  sin- 
gle reach.  But  this  stretch  would  bring  him  under  the  ne- 
cessity of  passing  very  near  the  Rover,  or  of  losing  no 
small  portion  of  his  vantage-ground.  He  did  not  hesitate. 


4.  THE    RED    ROVER.  2O/ 

When  the  vessel  was  as  nigh  the  weather  shore  as  his  busy 
lead  told  him  was  prudent,  the  ship  was  tacked,  and  her 
head  laid  directly  towards  the  still  motionless  and  seemingly 
unobservant  slaver. 

The  approach  of  the  Caroline  was  more  propitious  than 
before.  The  wind  was  steady,  and  her  crew  held  her  in 
hand,  as  a  skilful  rider  governs  the  action  of  a  fiery  and 
mettled  steed. 

Still  the  passage  was  not  made  without  exciting  a  breath- 
less interest  in  every  soul  in  the  Bristol  trader.  Each  indi- 
vidual had  his  own  secret  cause  of  curiosity.  To  the  sea- 
men, the  strange  ship  began  to  be  the  subject  of  wonder; 
the  governess  and  her  ward  scarce  knew  the  reasons  of  their 
interest;  while  Wilder  was  but  too  well  instructed  in  the 
nature  of  the  hazard  that  all  but  himself  were  running.  As 
before,  the  man  at  the  wheel  was  about  to  indulge  his  nauti- 
cal pride,  by  going  to  windward ;  but,  although  the  experi- 
ment would  now  have  been  attended  with  no  hazard,  he  was 
commanded  to  proceed  differently. 

"  Pass  the  slaver's  lee-beam,  sir,"  said  Wilder  with  a  ges- 
ture of  authority;  and  then  the  young  captain  went  himself 
to  lean  on  the  weather,  rail,  like  every  other  idler  on  board, 
to  examine  the  object  they  were  so  fast  approaching.  As 
the  Caroline  came  boldly  up,  seeming  to  bear  the  breeze 
before  her,  the  sighing  of  the  wind,  as  it  murmured  through 
the  rigging  of  the  stranger,  was  the  only  sound  that  issued 
from  her.  Not  a  single  human  face,  not  even  a  secret  and 
curious  eye,  was  anywhere  to  be  seen.  The  passage  was 
rapid;  and,  as  the  two  vessels  lay  with  heads  and  sterns 
nearly  in  a  line,  Wilder  thought  it  was  to  be  made  without 
the  slightest  notice  from  the  imaginary  slaver.  He  was 
mistaken.  A  light  active  form,  in  the  undress  attire  of  a 
naval  officer,  sprang  upon  the  taffrail,  and  waved  a  sea-cap 
in  salute.  The  instant  the  fair  hair  was  blowing  about  the 
countenance  of  this  individual,  Wilder  recognized  the  fea- 
tures of  the  Rover. 


208  THE   RED   ROVER. 

"Think  you  the  wind  will  hold  here,  sir?"  shouted  the 
latter,  at  the  top  of  his  voice. 

"  It  has  come  in  fresh  enough  to  be  steady,"  was  the  an- 
swer. 

"  A  wise  mariner  would  get  his  offing  in  time ;  to  me, 
there  is  a  smack  of  West  Indies  about  it." 

"You  believe  we  shall  have  it  more  at  south?" 

"I  do:  but  a  taut  bowline  for  the  night  will  carry  you 
clear." 

By  this  time  the  Caroline  had  swept  by,  and  she  was  now 
luffing,  across  the  slaver's  bows,  into  her  course  again.  The 
figure  on  the  taffrail  waved  the  sea-cap  in  adieu,  and  disap- 
peared. 

"  Is  it  possible  that  such  a  man  can  traffic  in  human  be- 
ings?" exclaimed  Gertrude,  when  the  sounds  of  both  voices 
had  ceased. 

Receiving  no  reply,  she  turned  to  regard  her  companion. 
The  governess  was  standing  like  a  being  entranced,  her  eyes 
looking  on  vacancy.  They  had  not  changed  their  direction 
since  the  motion  of  the  vessel  had  carried  her  beyond  the 
view  of  the  countenance  of  the  stranger.  Gertrude  took  her 
hand,  and  repeated  the  question,  when  the  recollection  of 
Mrs.  Wyllys  returned.  Passing  her  hand  over  her  brow, 
with  a  bewildered  air,  she  forced  a  smile,  as  she  said : 

"The  meeting  of  vessels,  or  the  renewal  of  any  maritime 
experience,  never  fails  to  revive  my  earliest  recollections, 
love.  But  surely  that  was  an  extraordinary  being,  who  has 
at  length  shown  himself  in  the  slaver!" 

"For  a  slaver,  most  extraordinary!" 

Mrs.  Wyllys  leaned  her  head  on  a  hand  for  an  instant, 
and  then  turned  to  look  for  Wilder.  The  young  mariner 
was  standing  near,  watching  the  expression  of  her  counte- 
nance, with  an  interest  scarcely  less  remarkable  than  her 
own  air  of  thought. 

"Tell  me,  young  man,  is  yonder  individual  the  com- 
mander of  the  slaver?" 


THE    RED    ROVER.  209 

"  He  is." 

"You  know  him?" 

"  We  have  met." 

"  And  he  is  called " 

"  The  master  of  yon  ship.     I  know  no  other  name." 

"  Gertrude,  we  will  seek  our  cabin.  When  we  are  quit- 
ting the  land,  Mr.  Wilder  will  have  the  goodness  to  let  us 
know." 

The  latter  bowed  his  assent,  and  the  ladies  left  the  deck. 
The  Caroline  had  now  the  prospect  of  getting  speedily  to 
sea.  In  order  to  effect  this  object,  Wilder  had  everything 
that  would  draw  set  to  the  utmost  advantage.  One  hundred 
times,  at  least,  however,  did  he  turn  his  head,  to  steal  a  look 
at  the  vessel  he  left  behind.  She  lay  as  when  they  passed 
— a  regular,  beautiful,  but  motionless  object  in  the  bay. 
From  each  of  these  furtive  examinations,  our  adventurer  in- 
variably cast  an  excited  and  impatient  glance  at  the  sails 
of  his  own  ship;  ordering  this  to  be  drawn  tighter  to  the 
spar  beneath,  or  that  to  be  more  distended  along  its  mast. 

The  effect  of  so  much  solicitude,  united  with  so  much 
skill,  was  to  urge  the  Bristol  trader  through  her  element  at 
a  rate  she  had  rarely,  if  ever  surpassed.  It  was  not  long 
before  the  land  ceased  to  be  seen  on  her  two  beams,  and 
then  it  was  only  to  be  traced  in  the  blue  islands  in  their 
rear,  or  in  a  long,  dim  horizon,  to  the  north  and  west,  where 
the  vast  continent  stretched  for  countless  leagues.  The 
passengers  were  now  summoned  to  take  their  parting  look 
at  the  land,  and  the  officers  were  seen  noting  their  depar- 
tures. Just  before  the  day  shut  in,  and  ere  the  islands  were 
entirely  sunk  into  the  waves,  Wilder  ascended  to  an  upper 
•yard,  bearing  a  glass.  His  gaze,  towards  the  haven  he  had 
left,  was  long,  anxious,  and  occupied.  But  his  descent  was 
distinguished  by  a  more  quiet  eye,  and  a  calmer  mien.  A 
smile,  like  that  of  success,  played  about  his  lips;  and  he 
gave  his  orders  clearly,  and  in  a  more  cheerful  voice.  They 
were  obeyed  as  briskly.  The  elder  mariners  pointed  to  the 
14 


2IO  THE    RED    ROVER. 

seas,  as  they  cut  through  them,  and  affirmed  that  the  Caro- 
line had  never  made  such  progress.  The  mates  cast  the  log, 
and  nodded  their  approbation,  as  one  announced  to  the  other 
the  unusual  speed  of  the  ship.  In  short,  content  and  hilar- 
ity reigned  on  board;  for  it  was  thought  that  the  passage 
was  commenced  under  favorable  auspices,  and  there  was  the 
hope  of  a  speedy  and  a  prosperous  termination  of  the  run. 
In  the  midst  of  these  encouraging  omens,  the  sun  dipped 
into  the  sea,  illumining,  as  it  fell,  a  wide  reach  of  the  chill 
and  gloomy  element.  Then  the  shades  of  night  gathered 
over  the  illimitable  waste. 


CHAPTER   XIV. 

So  foul  and  fair  a  day  I  have  not  seen. 

Macbeth. 

THE  first  watch  of  the  night  brought  no  change.  Wilder 
had  joined  his  passengers,  cheerful,  and  with  that  air  of  en- 
joyment which  every  officer  of  the  sea  is  apt  to  exhibit,  when 
he  has  disengaged  his  vessel  from  the  land,  and  has  fairly 
launched  her  on  the  trackless  and  fathomless  abyss  of  the 
ocean.  He  no  longer  alluded  to  the  hazards  of  the  passage, 
but  strove,  by  the  thousand  nameless  assiduities  which  his 
station  enabled  him  to  manifest,  to  expel  all  recollection  of 
what  had  passed  from  their  minds.  Mrs.  Wyllys  lent  her- 
self to  his  evident  efforts  to  remove  their  apprehensions,  and 
one,  ignorant  of  what  had  occurred  between  them,  would 
have  thought  the  little  party,  around  the  evening's  repast, 
was  a  contented  and  unsuspecting  group  of  voyagers,  who 
had  commenced  their  enterprise  under  the  happiest  auguries. 
Still  there  was  that  in  the  thoughtful  eye  and  clouded 
brow  of  the  governess,  as  at  times  she  turned  her  bewildered 
look  on  our  adventurer,  which  denoted  a  mind  far  from  be- 
ing at  ease.  She  listened  to  the  gay  and  peculiar,  because 
professional,  sallies  of  the  young  mariner,  with  smiles  that 


THE  RED   ROVER.  2U 

were  indulgent  while  they  were  melancholy,  as  if  his  youth- 
ful spirits,  enlivened  by  touches  of  a  humor  that  was  thor- 
oughly and  quaintly  nautical,  recalled  familiar  but  sad 
images  to  her  fancy.  Gertrude  had  less  alloy  in  her  pleas- 
ure. Home  and  a  beloved  and  indulgent  father  were  before 
her;  and  she  felt,  while  the  ship  yielded  to  each  fresh  im- 
pulse of  the  wind,  as  if  another  of  those  weary  miles,  which 
had  so  long  separated  them,  was  passed. 

During  these  short  but  pleasant  hours,  the  mariner,  who 
had  been  so  oddly  called  to  the  command  of  the  Bristol 
trader,  appeared  in  a  new  character.  Though  his  conversa- 
tion was  characterized  by  the  frank  manliness  of  a  seaman, 
it  was  nevertheless  tempered  by  the  delicacy  of  one  whose 
breeding  had  not  been  neglected.  The  beautiful  mouth  of 
Gertrude  often  struggled  to  conceal  the  smiles  which  dim- 
pled her  cheeks  at  his  sallies,  like  a  soft  air  ruffling  the  sur- 
face of  some  limpid  spring;  and  once  or  twice,  when  the 
humor  of  Wilder  came  unexpectedly,  and  in  stronger  colors 
than  common,  across  her  youthful  fancy,  she  yielded  to  an 
irresistible  merriment. 

One  hour  of  the  free  intercourse  of  a  ship  can  do  more 
towards  softening  the  cold  exterior  in  which  the  world  en- 
crusts the  best  of  human  feelings,  than  weeks  of  the  unmean- 
ing ceremonies  of  the  land.  He  who  has  not  felt  this  truth, 
would  do  well  to  distrust  his  own  companionable  qualities. 
It  would  seem  that  man,  when  he  finds  himself  in  the  soli- 
tude of  the  ocean,  most  feels  his  dependency  on  others  for 
happiness.  He  yields  to  sentiments  with  which  he  trifled 
in  the  wantonness  of  security,  and  is  glad  to  seek  relief  in 
the  sympathies  of  his  kind.  A  community  of  hazard  makes 
a  community  of  interest,  whether  person  or  property  com- 
poses the  stake.  Perhaps  a  literal  reasoner  might  add  that, 
as  each  is  conscious  the  condition  and  fortunes  of  his  neigh- 
bor are  the  indexes  of  his  own,  they  acquire  value  from 
their  affinity  to  self.  If  this  conclusion  be  true,  Providence 
has  happily  so  constituted  some  of  the  species,  that  the  sor- 


212  THE   RED    ROVER. 

did  feeling  is  too  latent  to  be  discovered;  and  least  of  all 
was  any  one  of  the  three,  who  passed  the  first  hours  of  the 
night  around  the  cabin  table  of  the  Royal  Caroline,  to  be 
included  in  this  selfish  class.  The  nature  of  the  intercourse, 
which  had  rendered  the  first  hours  of  their  acquaintance  so 
singularly  equivocal,  appeared  to  'be  forgotten  in  the  free- 
dom of  the  moment;  or,  if  it  were  remembered  at  all,  merely 
served  to  give  the  young  seaman  additional  interest  in  the 
eyes  of  the  females,  as  much  by  the  mystery  of  the  circum- 
stances, as  by  the  concern  he  had  manifested  in  their  behalf. 

The  bell  had  struck  eight;  and  the  hoarse  call  was  heard 
which  summoned  another  set  of  watchers  to  the  deck,  before 
the  party  was  aware  of  the  lateness  of  the  hour. 

"  It  is  the  middle  watch,"  said  Wilder,  smiling,  when  he 
observed  that  Gertrude  started  at  the  strange  sounds,  listen- 
ing like  a  timid  doe  that  catches  the  note  of  the  hunters 
horn.  "We  seamen  are  not  always  musical,  as  you  may 
judge  by  the  strains  of  the  present  spokesman.  There  are, 
however,  ears  in  the  ship  to  whom  his  notes  are  even  more 
discordant  than  to  your  own." 

"You  mean  the  sleepers?"  said  Mrs.  Wyllys. 

"I  mean  the  watch  below.  There  is  nothing  so  sweet  to 
the  foremast  mariner  as  his  sleep;  for  it  is  the  most  preca- 
"rious  of  all  his  enjoyments :  on  the  other  hand,  perhaps,  it 
is  the  most  treacherous  companion  the  commander  knows." 

"  And  why  is  the  rest  of  the  superior  so  much  less  grate- 
ful than  that  of  the  common  man?" 

"  Because  he  pillows  his  head  on  responsibility." 

"  You  are  young,  Mr.  Wilder,  for  a  trust  like  this  you 
bear." 

"  It  is  a  service  which  makes  all  prematurely  old." 

"Then  why  not  quit  it?"  said  Gertrude,  a  little  hastily. 

"Quit  it!"  he  replied,  gazing  at  her  intently,  while  he 
suspended  his  reply.  "  It  would  be  like  quitting  the  air  I 
breathe.'* 

"  Have  you  so  long  been  devoted  to, your  profession?"  re- 


THE   RED    ROVER.  213 

sumed  Mrs.  Wyllys,  bending  her  thoughtful  eye  from  the 
ingenuous  countenance  of  her  pupil,  once  more  towards  the 
features  of  the  young  man. 

"  I  have  reason  to  think  I  was  born  on  the  sea." 

"Think! — You  surely  know  your  birthplace?" 

"We  are  all  of  us  dependent  on  the  testimony  of  others," 
said  Wilder,  smiling,  "for  the  account  of  that  important 
event.  My  earliest  recollections  are  blended  with  the  sight 
of  the  ocean,  and  I  can  hardly  say  that  I  am  a  creature  of 
the  land  at  all." 

"You  have,  at  least,  been  fortunate  in  those  who  have 
had  the  charge  of  your  education  and  of  your  younger  days." 

"I  have!"  he  answered  with  emphasis.  Then  shading 
his  face  an  instant  with  his  hands,  he  arose,  and  added, 
with  a  melancholy  smile,  "  And  now  to  my  last  duty  for  the 
twenty-four  hours.  Have  you  a  disposition  to  look  at  the 
night?  So  skilful  and  so  stout  a  sailor  should  not  seek  her 
berth,  without  passing  an  opinion  on  the  weather." 

The  governess  took  his  arm,  and  they  ascended  the  stairs 
of  the  cabin  in  silence,  each  finding  sufficient  employment 
in  meditation.  She  was  followed  by  the  more  active  Ger- 
trude, who  joined  them  on  the  weather  side  of  the  quarter- 
deck. 

The  night  was  misty  rather  than  dark.  A  full  and  bright 
moon  had  arisen :  but  it  pursued  its  path  through  the  heav- 
ens, behind  a  body  of  dusky  clouds,  that  was  much  too  dense 
for  the  borrowed  rays  to  penetrate.  Here  and  there  a  strag- 
gling gleam  appeared  to  find  its  way  through  a  covering  of 
vapor  less  dense  than  the  rest,  falling  upon  the  water  like 
the  dim  illumination  of  a  distant  taper.  As  the  wind  was 
fresh  and  easterly,*  the  sea  seemed  to  throw  upward  from 
its  agitated  surface  more  light  than  it  received;  long  lines 
of  glittering  foam  following  each  other,  and  lending  a  dis- 

*  The  writer  will  not  pretend  to  give  the  philosophical  reason  for  the  phenomenon  ; 
but  he  thinks  that  every  seaman  must  have  observed  that  the  sea  has  more  of  the 
peculiar  light  alluded  to  in  an  eastern  than  in  a  western  breeze,  especially  within  the 
limits  of  the  Atlantic. 


?I4  THE    RED    ROVER. 

tinctness  to  the  waters,  that  the  heavens  themselves  wanted. 
The  ship  was  bowed  low  on  its  side ;  and,  as  it  entered 
each  rolling  swell,  a  wide  crescentof  foam  was  driven  ahead, 
the  element  appearing  to  gambol  along  its  path*.  Fr.r, 
though  the  time  was  propitious,  the  wind  not  absolutely  ad- 
verse, and  the  heavens  rather  gloomy  than  threatening,  an 
uncertain  (and,  to  a  landsman,  it  might  seem  an  unnatural) 
light  gave  a  character  of  the  wildest  loneliness  to  the 
view. 

Gertrude  shuddered  on  reaching  the  deck,  while  she  mur- 
mured an  expression  of  strange  delight.  Even  Mrs.  Wyllys 
gazed  upon  the  dark  waves,  that  were  heaving  and  setting 
in  the  horizon,  around  which  was  shed  most  of  that  radiance 
that  seemed  so  supernatural,  with  a  deep  conviction  that  she 
was  now  entirely  in  the  hands  of  the  Being  who  had  created 
the  waters  and  the  land.  But  Wilder  looked  upon  the  scene 
as  one  fastens  his  gaze  on  a  placid  sky.  To  him  the  view 
possessed  neither  novelty,  nor  dread,  nor  charm.  Not  so 
with  his  more  youthful  and  enthusiastic  companion.  After 
the  first  sensations  of  awe  had  a  little  subsided,  she  ex- 
claimed, in  the  ardor  of  admiration : 

"  One  such  night  would  repay  a  month  of  imprisonment 
in  a  ship!  You  must  find  great  enjoyment  in  these  scenes, 
Mr.  Wilder;  you,  who  have  them  always  at  command." 

"There  is  pleasure  to  be  found  in  them  without  doubt. — 
I  would  that  the  wind  had  veered  a  point  or  two.  I  do  not 
like  the  sky,  nor  yonder  misty  horizon,  nor  this  breeze 
hanging  so  dead  at  east!" 

"  The  vessel  makes  great  progress,"  calmly  returned  Mrs. 
Wyllys,  observing  that  the  young  man  spoke  without  con- 
sciousness, and  fearing  the  effect  of  his  words  upon  the 
mind  of  her  pupil.  "  If  we  are  going  on  our  course,  there 
is  the  appearance  of  a  quick  and  prosperous  passage." 

"True!"  exclaimed  Wilder,  who  had  become  conscious  of 
his  indiscretion.  "  Quite  probable,  and  very  true. — Mr. 
Earing,  the  air  is  getting  too  heavy  for  that  duck.  Hand 


THE   RED    ROVER.  215 

all  your  top-gallant  sails,  and  haul  the  ship  up  closer. 
Should  the  wind  hang  here  at  east-with-southing,  we  may 
want  all  the  offing  we  can  get." 

The  mate  replied  in  the  obedient  manner  which  seamen 
use  to  their  superiors;  and,  after  scanning  the  signs  of  the 
weather  for  a  moment  himself,  he  proceeded  to  see  the  order 
executed.  While  the  men  were  on  the  yards  furling  the 
light  canvas,  the  females  walked  apart,  leaving  the  young 
,  commander  to  the  uninterrupted  discharge  of  his  duty.  But 
Wilder,  so  far  from  deeming  it  necessary  to  lend  his  atten- 
tion to  so  ordinary  a  service,  the  moment  after  he  had 
spoken,  seemed  perfectly  unconscious  that  the  mandate  had 
issued  from  his  mouth.  He  stood  on  the  precise  spot 
where  the  view  of  the  ocean  and  the  heavens  first  caught  his 
eye,  and  his  gaze  still  continued  fastened  on  the  aspect  of 
the  two  elements.  His  look  was  always  in  the  direction  of 
the  wind,  which,  though  far  from  a  gale,  frequently«fell  upon 
the  sails  in  heavy  and  sullen  puffs.  After  a  long  examina- 
tion, the  young  mariner  muttered  his  thoughts  to  himself, 
and  commenced  pacing  the  deck  rapidly.  Still  he  would 
make  sudden  and  short  pauses,  riveting  his  gaze  on  the  point 
of  the  compass  whence  the  blasts  came,  as  if  he  distrusted 
the  weather,  and  would  fain  penetrate  the  gloom  of  night,  in 
order  to  relieve  some  painful  doubt.  At  length  his  step  be- 
came arrested,  in  one  of  those  quick  turns  that  he  made  at 
each  end  of  his  narrow  walk.  Mrs.  Wyllys  and  Gertrude 
stood  near  at  hand,  and  were  enabled  to  read  with  distinct- 
ness the  anxious  character  of  his  countenance,  as  his  eye 
became  suddenly  fastened  on  a  distant  point  of  the  ocean, 
though  in  a  quarter  exactly  opposite  to  that  in  which  his 
former  looks  had  been  directed. 

"Do  you  see  reason  to  distrust  the  weather?"  asked  the 
governess,  when  she  thought  his  examination  had  endured 
long  enough  to  become  ominous  of  evil. 

"  One  does  not  look  to  leeward  for  the  signs  of  the  weath- 
er, in  a  breeze  like  this." 


2l6  THE   RED    ROVER. 

"What  is  there,  that  you  fasten  your  eye  so  intently?" 

Wilder  raised  his  arm,  and  was  about  to  speak,  when  the 
limb  suddenly  fell. 

"  It  was  delusion !"  he  muttered,  turning  and  pacing  the 
deck  more  rapidly  than  ever. 

His  companions  watched  the  extraordinary,  and  appar- 
ently unconscious,  movements  of  the  young  commander  with 
amazement,  and  not  without  a  little  secret  dismay.  Their 
own  looks  wandered  over  the  expanse  of  troubled  water  to 
leeward,  but  nowhere  could  they  see  more  than  the  tossing 
element,  capped  with  those  ridges  of  garish  foam  which 
served  only  to  make  the  chilly  waste  more  dreary  and  im- 
posing. 

"We  see  nothing,"  said  Gertrude,  when  Wilder  again 
stopped  to  gaze,  as  before,  on  the  seeming  void. 

"Look!"  he  answered,  directing  their  eyes  with  his  fin- 
ger: "  is  there  nothing  there?" 

"  Nothing." 

"  You  look  into  the  sea.  Here,  just  where  the  heavens 
and  the  waters  meet;  along  that  streak  of  misty  light,  into 
which  the  waves  are  tossing  themselves  like  little  hillocks. 
There;  now  'tis  smooth  again,  and  my  eyes  did  not  deceive 
me. — By  heavens,  it  is  a  ship!" 

"  Sail,  ho!"  shouted  a  voice  from  a-top.  The  cry  sounded 
in  the  ears  of  our  adventurer  like  the  croaking  of  a  sinister 
spirit. 

"  Whereaway?"  he  sternly  demanded. 

"  Here  on  our  lee-quarter,  sir,"  returned  the  seaman,  at 
the  top  of  his  voice.  " I  make  her  out  a  ship  close-hauled; 
but,  for  an  hour  past,  she  has  looked  more  like  a  mist  than 
a  vessel." 

"He  is  right,"  muttered  Wilder;  "and  yet  'tis  a  strange 
thing  that  a  ship  should  be  just  there." 

"  And  why  stranger  than  that  we  are  here?" 

"Why!"  said  the  young  man,  regarding  Mrs.  Wyllys,  who 
had  put  this  question,  with  a  perfectly  unconscious  eye,  "  I 


THE    RED    ROVER.  2 1/ 

say  'tis  strange  she  should  be  there.  I  would  she  were  any- 
where else,  or  steering  northward." 

"You  give  no  reason.  Are  we  always  to  have  warnings 
from  you,"  she  continued,  "  without  reasons?  Do  you  deem 
us  so  utterly  unworthy  of  a  reason  ?  or  do  you  think  us  alto- 
gether incapable  of  reflection  on  a  subject  connected  with 
the  sea?  You  have  failed  to  make  the  essay,  and  are  too 
quick  to  decide  without  it.  Try  us  this  once.  We  may 
possibly  deceive  your  expectations." 

Wilder  laughed  faintly,  and  bowed,  as  if  he  recollected 
himself.  Still  he  entered  into  no  explanation;  but  he 
turned  his  gaze  on  the  quarter  of  the  ocean  where  the  strange 
sail  was  said  to  be.  The  females  followed  his  example,  and 
always  with  the  same  want  of  success.  Gertrude  expressed 
her  disappointment  aloud,  and  her  complaints  found  their 
way  to  the  ears  of  the  young  man. 

"  You  see  the  streak  of  dim  light,"  he  said,  again  point- 
ing across  the  waste.  "  The  clouds  have  lifted  a  little  there, 
but  the  spray  of  the  sea  is  floating  between  us  and  the 
opening.  Her  spars  look  like  the  delicate  work  of  a  spider, 
against  the  sky;  and  yet  you  see  there  are  all  the  propor- 
tions, with  the  three  masts,  of  a  noble  ship." 

Aided  by  these  minute  directions,  Gertrude  at  length 
caught  a  glimpse  of  the  faint  object,  and  soon  succeeded 
in  giving  the  true  direction  to  the  look  of  her  governess 
also.  Nothing  was  visible  but  the  dim  outline,  not  un- 
aptly described  by  Wilder  himself  as  resembling  a  spider's 
web. 

"It  must  be  a  ship!"  said  Mrs.  Wyllys;  "but  at  avast 
distance." 

"Hum!  Would  it  were  farther.  I  could  wish  that  ves- 
sel anywhere  but  there." 

"  And  why,  not  there  ?  Have  you  reason  to  dread  an  ene- 
my has  been  waiting  for  us  in  this  particular  spot?" 

"  No ;  still  I  like  not  her  position.  Would  to  God  she 
were  going  north  1" 


2t8  THE   RED    ROVER. 

"  It  is  some  vessel  from  the  port  of  New  York,  steering  to 
his  majesty's  islands  in  the  Caribbean  Seas?" 

"Not  so,"  said  Wilder,  shaking  his  head;  "no  vessel 
from  under  the  heights  of  Navesink  could  gain  that  offing 
with  a  wind  like  this." 

"  It  is  then  some  ship  going  into  the  same  place,  or  per- 
haps a  vessel  bound  for  one  of  the  bays  of  the  middle  colo- 
nies?" 

"  Her  road  would  be  too  plain  to  be  mistaken.  See ;  the 
stranger  is  close  upon  a  wind." 

"  It  may  be  a  trader,  or  a  cruiser  coming  from  one  of  the 
places  I  have  named." 

"  Neither.  The  wind  has  had  too  much  northing,  the  last 
two  days,  for  that." 

"It  is  a  vessel  that  we  have  overtaken,  and  which,  like 
ourselves,  has  come  out  of  the  waters  of  Long  Island 
Sound." 

"  That,  indeed,  is  our  last  hope,"  muttered  Wilder. 

The  governess,  who  had  put  the  foregoing  questions  in 
order  to  extract  from  the  commander  of  the  Caroline  the  in- 
formation he  so  pertinaciously  withheld,  had  now  exhausted 
all  her  own  knowledge  on  the  subject,  and  was  compelled  to 
await  his  further  pleasure  in  the  matter,  or  resort  to  the  less 
equivocal  means  of  direct  interrogation.  But  the  busy  state 
of  Wilder's  thoughts  left  her  no  immediate  opportunity  to 
pursue  the  subject.  He  soon  summoned  the  officer  of  the 
watch  to  his  councils,  and  they  consulted  together  apart,  for 
many  minutes.  The  hardy,  but  far  from  quick-witted,  sea- 
man who  filled  the  second  station  in  the  ship  saw  nothing 
so  remarkable  in  the  appearance  of  a  strange  sail  in  the  pre- 
cise spot  where  the  dim  and  nearly  aerial  image  of  the  un- 
known vessel  was  still  visible ;  nor  did  he  hesitate  to  pro- 
nounce her  some  honest  trader,  bent,  like  themselves,  on 
her  purpose  of  lawful  commerce.  His  commander  thought 
otherwise,  as  will  appear  by  the  short  dialogue  that  passed 
between  them. 


THE    RED    ROVER.  2IQ 

"Is  it  not  extraordinary  that  she  should  be  just  there?" 
demanded  Wilder,  after  each,  in  turn,  had  made  a  closer 
examination  of  the  faint  object,  by  the  aid  of  an  excellent 
night-glass. 

"  She  would  certainly  be  better  off,  here,"  returned  the 
literal  seaman,  who  had  an  eye  only  for  the  nautical  situa- 
tion of  the  stranger;  "we  should  be  none  the  worse  for  be- 
ing a  dozen  leagues  more  to  the  eastward,  ourselves.  If  the 
wind  holds  here  at  east-by-south-half-south,  we  shall  have 
need  of  all  that  offing.  I  got  jammed  once  between  Hat- 
teras  and  the  Gulf " 

"  Do  you  not  perceive  that  she  is  where  no  vessel  could 
or  ought  to  be,  unless  she  has  run  exactly  the  same  course 
with  ourselves?"  interrupted  Wilder.  "Nothing,  from  any 
harbor  south  of  New  York,  could  have  such  northing,  as  the 
wind  has  held;  while  nothing  from  the  colony  of  York 
would  stand  on  this  tack,  if  bound  east;  or  would  be  there, 
if  going  southward." 

The  plain-going  ideas  of  the  honest  mate  were  open  to  a 
reasoning  which  the  reader  may  find  a  little  obscure;  for 
his  mind  contained  a  sort  of  chart  of  the  ocean,  to  which  he 
could  at  any  time  refer,  with  a  proper  discrimination  be- 
tween the  various  winds  and  all  the  different  points  of  the 
compass.  When  properly  directed,  he  was  not  slow  to  see 
the  probable  justice  of  his  young  commander's  inferences; 
and  then  wonder,  in  its  turn,  began  to  take  possession  ot 
his  more  obtuse  faculties. 

"  It  is  downright  unnatural,  truly,  that  the  fellow  should 
be  just  there!"  he  replied,  shaking  his  head,  but  meaning 
no  more  than  that  it  was  entirely  out  of  the  order  of  nautical 
propriety :  "  I  see  the  reason  of  what  you  say,  Captain 
Wilder;  and  I  don't  know  how  to  explain  it.  It  is  a  ship, 
to  a  moral  certainty!" 

"  Of  that  there  is  no  doubt.  But  a  ship  most  strangely 
placed!" 

"  I  doubled  the  Good-Hope  in  the  year  '46,"  continued 


22O  THE    RED    ROVER. 

the  oilier,  "and  we  saw  a  vessel  lying,  as  it  might  be,  here 
on  our  weather-bow — which  is  just  opposite  to  this  fellow, 
since  he  is  on  our  lee:quarter — but  there  I  saw  a  ship  stand- 
ing for  an  hour  across  our  fore-foot,  and  yet,  though  we  set 
the  azimuth,  not  a  degree  did  he  budge,  starboard  or  lar- 
board, during  all  that  time,  which,  as  it  was  heavy  weather, 
was,  to  say  the  least,  something  out  of  the  common  order." 

"It  was  remarkable!"  returned  Wilder,  with  an  air  so  va- 
cant, as  to  prove  that  he  rather  communed  with  himself  than 
attended  to  his  companion. 

"  There  are  mariners  who  say  that  the  Flying  Dutchman 
cruises  off  that  Cape,  and  that  he  often  gets  on  the  weather 
side  of  a  stranger,  and  bears  down  upon  him  like  a  ship 
about  to  lay  him  abroad.  Many  is  the  king's  cruiser,  as 
they  say,  that  has  turned  her  hands  up  from  a  sweet  sleep, 
when  the  lookouts  have  seen  a  double-decker  come  down  in 
the  night,  with  ports  up,  and  batteries  lighted;  but  then  this 
can't  be  any  such  craft  as  the  Dutchman,  since  she  is,  at 
the  most,  no  more  than  a  large  sloop  of  war,  if  a  cruiser 
at  all." 

"No,"  said  Wilder,  "this  can  never  be  the  Dutchman." 

"Yon  vessel  shows  no  lights;  and,  for  that  matter,  she 
has  such  a  misty  look,  that  one  might  well  question  its  be- 
ing a  ship  at  all.  Then,  again,  the  Dutchman  is  always 
seen  to  windward,  and  the  strange  sail  we  have  here  lies 
broad  upon  our  lee-quarter!" 

"It  is  no  Dutchman/7  said  Wilder,  drawing  a  long 
breath,  like  a  man  awaking  from  a  trance.  "  Main-top- 
mast-crosstrees,  there!" 

The  man  stationed  aloft  answered  the  hail  in  the  custom- 
ary manner,  the  short  conversation  that  succeeded  being  nec- 
essarily maintained  in  shouts,  rather  than  in  speeches. 

"  How  long  have  you  seen  the  stranger?"  was  the  first  de- 
mand of  Wilder. 

"I  have  just  come  aloft,  sir;  but  the  man  I  relieved  tells 
me  more  than  an  hour." 


THE    RED    ROVER.  221 

"And  has  the  man  you  relieved  come  down?  or  who  is  it 
that  I  see  sitting  on  the  lee  side  of  the  mast-head?" 

"'Tis  Bob  Brace,  sir;  who  says  he  cannot  sleep,  and  so 
he  stays  upon  the  yard  to  keep  me  company." 

"  Send  the  man  down.     I  would  speak  to  him." 

While  the  wakeful  seaman  was  descending  the  rigging, 
the  two  officers  continued  silent,  finding  sufficient  occupa- 
tion in  musing  on  what  had  already  passed. 

"Why  are  you  not  in  your  hammock?"  said  Wilder,  a 
little  sternly,  to  the  man  who,  in  obedience  to  his  order,  had 
descended  to  the  quarter-deck. 

"  I  am  not  sleep-bound,  your  honor,  and  I  had  a  mind  to 
pass  another  hour  aloft." 

"  And  why  are  you,  who  have  two  night-watches  to  keep 
already,  so  willing  to  enlist  in  a  third?" 

"  To  own  the  truth,  sir,  my  mind  has  been  a  little  misgiv- 
ing about  this  passage,  since  the  moment  we  lifted  our 
anchor." 

Mrs.  Wyllys  and  Gertrude,  who  were  auditors,  insensibly 
drew  nigher  to  listen,  with  a  species  of  interest  which  be- 
trayed itself  by  the  thrilling  of  nerves,  and  an  accelerated 
movement  of  the  pulse. 

"And  you  have  your  doubts,  sir!"  exclaimed  the  captain, 
in  a  tone  of  slight  contempt.  "  Pray,  may  I  ask  what  you 
have  seen  on  board  here,  to  make  you  distrust  the  ship?" 

"  No  harm  in  asking,  your  honor,"  returned  the  seaman, 
crushing  the  hat  he  held  between  two  hands  that  had  a  grip 
like  a  couple  of  vices,  "  and  so  I  hope  there  is  none  in  an- 
swering. I  pulled  an  oar  in  the  boat  after  the  old  man  this 
morning,  and  I  cannot  say  I  liked  the  manner  in  which  he 
got  from  the  chase.  Then,  there  is  something  in  the  ship 
to  leeward  that  comes  athwart  my  fancy  like  a  drag,  and  I 
confess,  your  honor,  that  I  should  make  but  little  headway 
in  a  nap,  though  I  should  try  the  swing  of  a  hammock." 

"  How  long  is  it  since  you  made  out  the  ship  to  leeward?" 

"  I  will  not  swear  that  a  real  living  ship  has  been  made 


222  THE    RED    ROVER. 

out  at  all,  sir.  Something  I  did  see,  just  before  the  bell 
struck  seven,  and  there  it  is,  just  as  clear  and  just  as  dim, 
to  be  seen  now,  by  them  that  have  good  eyes." 

"And  how  did  she  bear  when  you  first  saw  her?" 

"  Two  or  three  points  more  upon  the  beam  than  now." 

"Then  we  are  passing  her!"  exclaimed  Wilder,  with  a 
pleasure  too  evident  to  be  concealed. 

"  No,  your  honor,  no.  You  forget,  sir,  the  ship  has  come 
closer  to  the  wind  since  the  middle  watch  was  set." 

"  True,"  returned  his  young  commander,  in  disappoint- 
ment ;  "  true,  very  true ;  too  true.  And  her  bearing  has  not 
changed  since  you  first  made  her  out?" 

"Not  by  compass,  sir.  It  is  a  quick  boat,  that,  or  it 
would  never  hold  such  way  with  the  Royal  Caroline,  and 
that  too  upon  a  stiffened  bowline,  which  everybody  knows 
is  the  real  play  of  this  ship." 

"  Go,  get  you  to  your  hammock.  In  the  morning  we  may 
have  a  better  look  at  the  fellow." 

"  And — you  hear  me,  sir,"  added  the  attentive  mate,  "  do 
not  keep  the  men's  eyes  open  below,  with  a  tale  as  long  as 
the  short  cable,  but  take  your  own  natural  rest,  and  leave  all 
others,  that  have  clear  consciences,  to  do  the  same." 

"Mr.  Earing,"  said  Wilder,  as  the  seaman  reluctantly 
proceeded  to  his  place  of  rest,  "we  will  bring  the  ship  upon 
the  other  tack,  and  get  more  easting  while  the  land  is  so 
far  from  us.  This  course  will  be  setting  us  upon  Hatteras. 
Besides " 

"Yes,  sir,"  the  mate  replied,  observing  his  superior  to 
hesitate,  "  as  you  were  saying, — besides,  no  one  can  foretell 
the  length  of  a  gale,  nor  the  real  quarter  from  which  it  may 
come." 

"  Precisely.  No  one  can  answer  for  the  weather.  The 
men  are  scarcely  in  their  hammocks ;  turn  them  up  at  once, 
sir,  before  their  eyes  are  heavy,  and  we  will  get  the  ship's 
head  the  other  way." 

The  mate  instantly  sounded  the  wejl-known  cry 


THE    RED    ROVER.  223 

summoned  the  watch  below  to  the  assistance  of  their  ship- 
mates on  deck.  Little  delay  occurred,  and  not  a  word  was 
uttered,  but  the  short,  authoritative  mandates  which  Wilder 
saw  fit  to  deliver  from  his  own  lips.  No  longer  pressed  up 
against  the  wind,  the  ship,  obedient  to  her  helm,  gracefully 
began  to  incline  her  head  from  the  waves,  and  to  bring  the 
wind  abeam.  Then,  instead  of  breasting  and  mounting  the 
endless  hillocks,  like  a  being  that  toiled  heavily  along  its 
path,  she  fell  into  the  trough  of  the  sea,  from  which  she 
issued  like  a  courser,  who,  having  conquered  an  ascent, 
shoots  along  the  track  with  redoubled  velocity.  For  an  in- 
stant the  wind  appeared  to  lull,  though  the  wide  ridge  of 
foam  which  rolled  long  on  each  side  the  vessel's  bows, 
sufficiently  proclaimed  that  she  was  skimming  before  it.  In 
another  moment,  the  tall  spars  began  to  incline  again  to  the 
west,  and  the  vessel  came  swooping  up  to  the  wind,  until 
her  plunges  and  shocks  against  the  seas  were  renewed  as 
violently  as  before.  When  every  yard  and  sheet  were 
properly  trimmed  to  meet  the  new  position  of  the  vessel, 
Wilder  turned  to  get  a  glimpse  of  the  stranger.  A  minute 
was  lost  in  ascertaining  the  precise  spot  where  he  ought  to 
appear;  for,  in  such  a  chaos  of  water,  and  with  no  guide 
but  the  judgment,  the  eye  was  apt  to  deceive  itself,  by  re- 
ferring to  the  nearer  and  more  familiar  objects  by  which  the 
spectator  was  surrounded. 

"The  stranger  has  vanished!"  said  Earing,  with  a  voice 
in  which  mental  relief  and  distrust  were  oddly  manifesting 
themselves. 

"He  should  indeed  be  on  this  quarter;  but  I  see  him 
not!" 

"Ay,  ay,  sir;  this  is  the  way  that  the  midnight  cruiser  off 
the  Hope  is  said  to  come  and  go.  There  are  men  who  have 
seen  that  vessel  shut  in  by  a  fog,  in  as  fine  a  starlight  night 
as  was  ever  met  in  a  southern  latitude.  But  then  this  can- 
not be  the  Dutchman,  since  it  is  so  many  long  leagues  from 
the  pitch  of  the  Cape  to  the  coast  of  North  America." 


224  THE    RED    ROVER, 

"Here  he  lies;  and,  by  heaven,  he  has  already  gone 
about!" 

The  truth  of  what  Wilder  affirmed  was  sufficiently  evident 
to  the  eye  of  a  seaman.  The  same  diminutive  and  misty 
tracery,  as  before,  was  to  be  seen  on  the  light  background 
of  the  horizon,  looking  not  unlike  the  faintest  shadows  cast 
upon  some  brighter  surface  by  the  deception  of  the  phantas- 
magoria. But  to  the  mariners,  who  so  well  knew  how  to 
distinguish  between  the  different  lines  of  her  masts,  it  was 
very  evident  that  her  course  had  been  suddenly  and  dexter- 
ously changed,  and  that  she  was  now  steering  no  longer  to 
the  south  and  west,  but,  like  themselves,  holding  her  way 
toward  the  northeast,  or  broadly  off  toward  the  middle  of 
the  Atlantic.  The  fact  appeared  to  make  a  sensible  impres- 
sion on  them  all;  though  probably,  had  their  reasons  been 
sifted,  they  would  have  been  found  to  be  entirely  different. 

"That  fellow  has  truly  tacked!"  said  Earing,  after  a  long 
meditative  pause,  and  with  a  voice  in  which  awe  was  be- 
ginning to  get  the  ascendency  of  doubt.  "Long  as  I  have 
followed  the  sea,  I  have  never  before  seen  a  vessel  tack 
against  such  a  head-beating  sea.  He  must  have  been  all 
shaking  in  the  wind,  when  we  gave  him  the  last  look,  or  we 
should  not  have  lost  sight  of  him." 

"  A  lively  and  quick-working  vessel  might  do  it,"  said 
Wilder;  "especially  if  strong-handed." 

"Ay,  the  hand  of  Beelzebub  is  always  strong;  and  a  light 
job  would  he  make  of  even  a  more  difficult  manoeuvre !" 

"  Mr.  Earing,"  interrupted  Wilder,  "  we  will  pack  upon 
the  Caroline,  and  try  our  sailing  with  this  stranger.  Get 
the  main  tack  aboard,  and  set  the  top-gallant  sail." 

The  slow-minded  mate  would  have  remonstrated  against 
the  order,  had  he  dared;  but  there  was  that  in  the  calm 
manner  of  his  young  commander,  which  admonished  him  of 
the  hazard.  He  was  not  wrong,  however,  in  considering  the 
duty  he  was  now  tc  perform  as  one  that  was  not  entirely 
free  from  risk.  The  ship  was  already  moving  under  quite 


THE    RED    ROVER.  225 

as  much  canvas  as  he  deemed  it  prudent  to  show  at  such  an 
hour,  and  with  so  many  threatening  symptoms  of  heavier 
weather  hanging  about  the  horizon.  The  necessary  orders 
were,  however,  repeated,  as  promptly  as  they  had  been  given. 
The  seamen  had  already  begun  to  consider  the  stranger, 
and  to  converse  among  themselves  concerning  his  appear- 
ance and  situation ;  and  they  obeyed  with  an  alacrity  that 
might  perhaps  have  been  traced  to  a  secret  but  common  wish 
to  escape  from  his  vicinity.  The  sails  were  successively 
and  speedily  set;  and  then  each  man  folded  his  arms,  and 
stood  gazing  steadily  and  intently  at  the  shadowy  object  to 
leeward,  in  order  to  witness  the  effect  of  the  change. 

The  Royal  Caroline  seemed,  like  her  crew,  sensible  of 
the  necessity  of  increasing  her  speed.  As  she  felt  the  pres- 
sure of  the  broad  sheets  of  canvas  that  had  just  been  dis- 
tended, the  ship  bowed  lower,  appearing  to  recline  on  the 
bed  of  water  which  rose  under  her  lee  nearly  to  the  scup- 
pers. On  the  other  side,  the  dark  planks  and  polished 
copper  lay  bare  for  many  feet,  though  often  washed  by  the 
waves  that  came  sweeping  along  her  length,  green  and 
angrily,  still  capped,  as  usual,  with  crests  of  lucid  foam. 
The  shocks,  as  the  vessel  tilted  against  the  billows,  were 
becoming  every  moment  more  severe;  and,  from  each  en- 
counter, a  bright  cloud  of  spray  arose,  which  either  fell 
glittering  on  the  deck,  or  drove,  in  brilliant  mist,  across  the 
rolling  water,  far  to  leeward. 

Wilder  long  watched  the  ship  with  a  clouded  brow,  but 
with  the  steady  intelligence  of  a  seaman.  Once  or  twice, 
when  she  trembled,  and  appeared  to  stop  in  her  violent  en- 
counter with  a  wave  as  suddenly  as  if  she  had  struck  a  rock, 
his  lips  severed,  and  he  was  about  to  give  the  order  to  re- 
duce the  sail;  but  a  glance  at  the  misty-looking  image  in 
the  western  horizon  caused  him  to  change  his  purpose. 
Like  a  desperate  adventurer,  who  had  cast  his  fortunes  on 
some  hazardous  experiment,  he  appeared  to  await  the  issue 
with  a  resolution  as  haughty  as  it  was  unconquerable. 


226  THE    RED    ROVER. 

"  The  top-gallant  is  bending  like  a  whip,"  muttered  the 
careful  Earing,  at  his  elbow. 

"Let  it  go;  we  have  spare  spars  enough  to  put  in  its 
place." 

"  I  have  always  found  the  Caroline  leaky,  after  she  has 
been  strained  by  driving  her  against  the  sea." 

"  We  have  our  pumps." 

"True,  sir;  but  in  my  poor  judgment,  it  is  idle  to  think 
of  outsailing  a  craft  that  the  devil  commands,  if  he  does  not 
altogether  handle." 

"One  will  never  know  that,  Mr.  Earing,  till  he  tries." 

"We  gave  the  Dutchman  a  chance  of  that  sort;  and,  I 
must  say,  we  not  only  had  the  most  canvas  spread,  but  much 
the  best  of  the  wind;  and  what  good  did  it  do?  there  he 
lay,  under  his  three  topsails,  driver,  and  jib;  and  we,  with 
studding-sails  alow  and  aloft,  couldn't  alter  his  bearing  a 
foot." 

"  The  Dutchman  is  never  seen  in  a  northern  latitude." 

"  Well,  I  cannot  say  he  is,"  returned  Earing,  in  a  sort  of 
compelled  resignation ;  "  but  he  who  has  put  that  flyer  off 
the  Cape  may  have  found  the  cruise  so  profitable,  as  to  wish 
to  send  another  ship  into  these  seas." 

Wilder  made  no  reply.  He  had  either  humored  the  super- 
stitious apprehension  of  his  mate  enough,  or  his  mind  was 
too  intent  on  its  principal  object  to  dwell  longer  on  a  for- 
eign subject. 

Notwithstanding  the  seas  that  met  her  advance  in  such 
quick  succession  as  greatly  to  retard  her  progress,  the 
Bristol  trader  had  soon  toiled  her  way  through  a  league  of 
the  troubled  element.  At  every  plunge  she  took,  the  bows 
divided  a  mass  of  water  that  appeared  to  be  fast  getting 
more  vast  and  more  violent,  and  more  than  once  the  strug- 
gling hull  was  nearly  buried  forward,  in  some  wave  which 
it  had  equal  difficulty  in  mounting  or  penetrating. 

The  mariners  narrowly  watched  the  smallest  movements 
of  their  vessel.  Not  a  man  left  her  deck  for  hours.  The 


THE   RED   ROVER.  22/ 

l 

superstitious  awe,  which  had  taken  such  deep  hold  of  the 
untutored  faculties  of  the  chief  mate,  had  not  been  slow  in 
extending  its  influence  to  the  meanest  of  her  crew.  Even 
the  accident  which  had  befallen  her  former  commander,  and 
the  sudden  and  mysterious  manner  in  which  the  young 
officer  who  now  trod  the  quarter-deck,  so  singularly  firm  and 
calm  under  circumstances  deemed  so  imposing,  had  their 
influence  in  heightening  the  wild  impression.  The  impunity 
with  which  the  Caroline  bore  such  a  press  of  canvas,  under 
the  circumstances  in  which  she  was  placed,  added  to  their 
kindling  admiration ;  and,  ere  Wilder  had  determined  in  his 
own  mind  on  the  powers  of  his  ship,  in  comparison  with 
those  of  the  vessel  so  strangely  hung  in  the  horizon,  he  was 
himself  becoming  the  subject  of  unnatural  and  revolting 
suspicions  to  his  own  crew. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

I*  the  name  of  truth 

Are  ye  fantastical,  or  that  indeed 
Which  outwardly  ye  show  ? 

Macbeth. 

SUPERSTITION  is  a  quality  that  seems  indigenous  to  the 
ocean.  Few  common  mariners  are  exempt  from  its  influ- 
ence, in  a  greater  or  less  degree ;  th'ough  it  is  found  to  exist, 
among  the  seamen  of  different  people,  in  forms  that  are 
tempered  by  their  respective  national  habits  and  peculiar 
opinions.  The  sailor  of  the  Baltic  has  his  secret  rites,  and 
his  manner  of  propitiating  the  gods  of  the  wind;  the  Medi- 
terranean mariner  tears  his  hair  and  kneels  before  the  shrine 
of  some  impotent  saint,  when  his  own  hand  might  better  do 
the  service  he  implores;  while  the  more  skilful  English- 
man sees  the  spirits  of  the  dead  in  the  storm,  and  hears  the 
cries  of  a  lost  messmate  in  the  gusts  that  sweep  the  waste 
he  navigates.  Even  the  better  instructed  and  still  more 
reasoning  American  has  not  been  able  to  shake  off  entirely 


228  THE    RED    ROVER. 

the  secret  influence  of  a  sentiment  that  seems  to  be  the  con- 
comitant of  his  condition. 

There  is  a  majesty  in  the  might  of  the  great  deep,  that 
has  a  tendency  to  keep  open  the  avenues  of  that  dependent 
credulity  which  more  or  less  besets  the  mind  of  every  man> 
however  he  may  have  fortified  his  intellect  by  thought. 
With  the  firmament  above  him,  and  wandering  on  an  inter- 
minable  waste  of  water,  the  less  gifted  seaman  is  tempted, 
at  every  step  of  his  pilgrimage,  to  seek  the  relief  of  some 
propitious  omen.  The  few  which  are  supported  by  scien- 
tific causes  give  support  to  the  many  that  have  their  origin 
only  in  his  own  excited  and  doubting  fancy.  The  gambols 
of  the  dolphin,  the  earnest  and  busy  passage  of  the  porpoise, 
the  ponderous  sporting  of  the  unwieldy  whale,  and  the 
screams  of  the  marine  birds,  have  all,  like  the  signs  of  the 
ancient  soothsayers,  their  attendant  consequences  of  good  or 
evil.  The  confusion  between  things  which  are  explicable, 
and  things  which  are  not,  gradually  brings  the  mind  of  the 
mariner  to  a  state  in  which  any  exciting  and  unnatural  sen  • 
timent  is  welcome,  if  it  be  for  no  other  reason  than  that, 
like  the  vast  element  on  which  he  passes  his  life,  it  bears 
the  impression  of  what  is  thought  a  supernatural,  because  it 
is  an  incomprehensible,  cause. 

The  crew  of  the  Royal  Caroline  were  all  from  that  distant 
island  that  has  been,  ancl  still  continues  to  be,  the  hive  of 
nations,  which  are  probably  fated  to  carry  her  name  to  a 
time  when  the  site  of  her  own  fallen  power  shall  be  sought 
as  a  curiosity,  like  the  remains  of  a  city  in  a  desert. 

The  whole  events  of  the  day  had  a  tendency  to  arouse  the 
latent  superstition  of  these  men.  It  has  already  been  said, 
that  the  calamity  which  had  befallen  their  former  com- 
mander, and  the  manner  in  which  a  stranger  had  succeeded 
to  his  authority,  had  their  influence  in  increasing  their  dis- 
position to  doubt.  The  sail  to  leeward  appeared  most  in- 
opportunely for  the  character  of  our  adventurer,  who  had 
not  yet  enjoyed  a  fitting  opportunity  to  secure  the  confidence 


THE   RED   ROVER.  229 

of  his  inferiors,  before  such  untoward  circumstances  occurred 
as  threatening  to  deprive  him  of  it  forever. 

There  has  existed  but  one  occasion  for  introducing  to  the 
reader  the  mate  who  filled  the  station  in  the  ship  next  to 
that  of  Earing.  He  was  called  Knighthead;  a  name  that 
was,  in  sound  at  least,  indicative  of  a  certain  misty  obscur- 
ity that  beset  his  superior  member.  The  qualities  of  his 
mind  may  be  appreciated  by  the  few  reflections  he  saw  fit  to 
make  on  the  escape  of  the  old  mariner  whom  Wilder  had  in- 
tended to  punish.  As  this  individual  was  but  one  degree 
removed  from  the  common  men  in  situation,  he  was  much 
more  nearly  associated  with  them  in  habits  and  opinions 
than  Earing.  His  influence  among  them  was  accordingly 
much  greater  than  that  of  his  brother  mate,  while  his  author- 
ity was  less,  and  his  sentiments  were  very  generally  re- 
ceived as  the  rule  by  which  all  things,  that  did  not  actually 
depend  on  the  mere  right  to  command,  were  to  be  judged. 

After  the  ship  had  been  wore,  and  during  the  time  that 
Wilder,  with  a  view  to  lose  sight  of  his  unwelcome  neigh- 
bor, was  endeavoring  to  urge  her  through  the  seas  in  the 
manner  already  described,  this  stubborn  and  mystified  tar 
remained  in  the  waist  of  the  vessel,  surrounded  by  a  few  of 
the  older  and  more  experienced  seamen,  holding  converse 
on  the  remarkable  appearance  of  the  phantom  to  leeward, 
and  of  the  extraordinary  manner  in  which  their  unknown 
officer  saw  fit  to  attest  the  enduring  qualities  of  their  own 
vessel.  We  shall  commence  our  relation  of  the  dialogue  at 
a  point  where  Knighthead  saw  fit  to  discontinue  his  distant 
inuendos,  in  order  to  deal  more  directly  with  the  subject  he 
had  under  discussion. 

"  I  have  heard  it  said,  by  older  seafaring  men  than  any  in 
this  ship,''  he  continued,  "that  the  devil  has  been  known  to 
send  one  of  his  mates  aboard  a  lawful  trader,  to  lead  her 
astray  among  shoals  and  quicksands,  in  order  that  he  might 
make  a  wreck,  and  get  his  share  of  the  salvage  among  the 
souls  of  the  people.  What  man  can  say  who  gets  into  the 


23O  THE    RED    ROVER. 

cabin,  when  an  unknown  name  stands  first  in  the  shipping- 
list  of  a  vessel?" 

"The  stranger  is  shut  in  by  a  cloud!"  exclaimed  one  of 
the  mariners,  who,  while  he  listened  to  the  philosophy  of 
his  officer,  still  kept  an  eye  riveted  on  the  mysterious  object 
to  leeward. 

"  Ay,  ay ;  it  would  occasion  no  surprise  to  me  to  see  that 
craft  steering  into  the  moon !  Luck  is  like  a  fly-block  and  its 
yard:  when  one  goes  up,  the  other  comes  down.  They  say  the 
red-coats  ashore  have  had  their  turn  of  fortune,  and  it  is  time 
we  honest  seamen  look  out  for  our  squalls.  I  have  doubled 
the  Horn,  brothers,  in  a  king's  ship,  arud  I  have  seen  the 
bright  cloud  that  never  sets,  and  I  have  held  a  living  cor- 
posant in  my  own  hand.  But  these  are  things  which  any 
man  may  look  on,  who  will  go  upon  a  yard  in  a  gale,  or 
ship  aboard  a  South-seaman;  still,  I  pronounce  it  uncom- 
mon for  a  vessel  to  see  her  shadow  in  the  haze,  as  we  have 
ours  at  this  moment;  there  it  comes  again! — hereaway,  be- 
tween the  after-shroud  and  the  backstay — or  for  a  trader  to 
carry  sail  in  a  fashion  that  would  make  every  knee  in  a 
bomb-ketch  work  like  a  tooth-brush  fiddling  across  a  pas- 
senger's mouth,  after  he  has  had  a  smart  bout  with  the  sea- 
sickness." 

"  And  yet  the  lad  holds  the  ship  in  hand,"  said  the  oldest 
of  all  the  seamen,  who  kept  his  gaze  fastened  on  the  proceed- 
ings of  Wilder:  "he  is  driving  her  through  it  in  a  mad 
manner,  I  will  allow;  but  yet,  so  far,  he  has  not  parted  a 
yarn." 

"Yarns!"  repeated  the  mate,  in  a  tone  of  contempt; 
"what  signify  yarns,  when  the  whole  cable  is  to  snap,  and 
in  such  a  fashion  as  to  leave  no  hope  for  the  anchor,  except 
in  a  buoy  rope?  Hark  ye,  old  Bill ;  the  devil  never  finishes 
his  jobs  by  halves.  What  is  to  happen  will  happen  bodily; 
and  no  easing-off,  as  if  you  were  lowering  the  captain's  lady 
into  a  boat,  and  he  on  deck  to  see  fair  play." 

"  Mr.  Knighthead  knows  how  to  keep  a  ship's  reckoning 


THE   RED   ROVER.  23! 

in  all  weathers!"  said  another,  whose  manner  sufficiently 
announced  the  dependence  he  himself  placed  on  the  capac- 
ity of  the  second  mate. 

"  And  no  credit  to  me  for  the  same.  I  have  seen  all  ser- 
vices, and  handled  every  rig,  from  a  lugger  to  a  double- 
decker!  Few  men  can  say  more  in  their  own  favor  than 
myself;  for  the  little  I  know  has  been  got  by  much  hard- 
ship, and  small  schooling.  But  what  matters  information, 
or  even  seamanship,  against  witchcraft,  or  the  workings  of 
one  whom  I  don't  choose  to  name,  seeing  there  is  no  use  in 
offending  any  gentleman  unnecessarily?  I  say,  brothers, 
that  this  ship  is  packed  upon  in  a  fashion  that  no  prudent 
seaman  ought  to,  or  would,  allow." 

A  common  murmur  announced  that  most,  if  not  all,  of  his 
hearers  were  of  the  same  mind. 

"  Let  us  examine  calmly  and  reasonably,  and  in  a  manner 
becoming  enlightened  Englishmen,  into  the  whole  state  of 
the  case,"  the  mate  continued,  casting  an  eye  obliquely  over 
his  shoulder,  to  make  sure  that  the  individual  of  whose  dis- 
pleasure he  stood  in  no  salutary  awe  was  not  actually  at  his 
elbow.  "We  are  all  of  us,  to  a  man,  native-born  islanders, 
without  a  drop  of  foreign  blood  among  us;  not  so  much  as  a 
Scotchman  or  an  Irishman  in  the  ship.  Let  us  therefore 
look  into  the  philosophy  of  this  affair,  with  the  judgment 
which  becomes  our  breeding.  In  the  first  place,  here  is 
honest  Nicholas  Nichols  slips  from  this  here  water-cask, 
and  breaks  me  a  leg!  Now,  brothers,  I've  known  men  to 
fall  from  tops  and  yards,  and  lighter  damage  done.  But 
what  matters  it,  to  a  certain  person,  how  far  he  throws  his 
man,  since  he  has  only  to  lift  a  finger  to  get  us  all  hanged? 
Then  comes  me  aboard  here  a  stranger,  with  a  look  of  the 
colonies  about  him,  and  none  of  your  plain-dealing,  out- 
and-out,  smooth  English  faces,  such  as  a  man  can  cover 
with  the  flat  of  his  hand— 

"  The  lad  is  well  enough  to  the  eye,"  interrupted  the  old 
mariner. 


232  THE  *EI)   ROVER. 

"Ay,  therein  lies  the  whole  deviltry  of  his  matter!  He 
is  good-looking,  I  grant  ye ;  but  it  is  not  such  good-looking 
as  an  Englishman  loves.  There  is  a  meaning  about  him 
that  I  don't  like;  I  never  likes  too  much  meaning  in  a 
man's  countenance,  seeing  that  it  is  not  always  easy  to  un- 
derstand what  he  would  be  doing.  Then,  this  stranger  gets 
to  be  master  of  the  ship,  or,  what  is  the  same  thing,  next  to 
master;  while  he  who  should  be^on  deck  giving  his  orders 
in  a  time  like  this,  is  lying  in  his  berth  unable  to  tack  him- 
self, much  less  to  put  the  vessel  about;  and  yet  no  man  can 
say  how  the  thing  came  to  pass." 

"  He  drove  a  bargain  with  the  consignee  for  the  station, 
and  right  glad  did  the  cunning  merchant  seem  to  get  so 
tight  a  youth  to  take  charge  of  the  Caroline." 

"A  merchant,  after  all,  like  the  rest  of  us,  is  made  of 
nothing  better  than  clay;  and,  what  is  worse,  it  is  seldom 
that,  in  putting  him  together,  he  is  dampened  with  salt 
water.  Many  is  the  trader  that  has  doused  his  spectacles, 
and  shut  his  account-books,  to  step  aside  to  overreach  his 
neighbor,  and  then  come  back  to  find  that  he  has  over- 
reached himself.  Mr.  Bale  no  doubt  thought  he  was  doing 
the  clever  thing  for  the  owners,  when  he  shipped  this  Mr. 
Wilder;  but  then,  perhaps,  he  did  not  know  that  the  vessel 

was  sold  to .  It  becomes  a  plain-going  seaman  to 

have  a  respect  for  all  he  sails  under;  so  I  will  not,  un- 
necessarily, name  the  person  who,  I  believe,  has  got, 
whether  he  came  by  it  in  a  fair  purchase  or  not,  no  small 
right  in  this  vessel." 

"I  have  never  seen,  a  ship  got  out  of  irons  more  hand- 
somely than  he  handled  the  Caroline  this  very  morning." 

Knighthead  indulged  in  a  low,  but  what  to  his  listeners 
appeared  to  be  an  exceedingly  meaning,  laugh. 

"When  a  ship  has  a  certain  sort  of  captain,  one  is  not  to 
be  surprised  at  anything,"  he  answered,  the  instant  his 
merriment  ceased.  "  For  my  own  part,  I  shipped  to  go  from 
Bristol  to  the  Carolinas  and  Jamaica,  touching  at  Newport 


THE   RED    ROVER.  233 

out  and  home;  and  I  will  say,  boldly,  I  have  no  wish  to  go 
anywhere  else.  As  to  backing  the  Caroline  from  her 
awkward  berth  alongside  the  slaver,  why,  it  was  well  done ; 
too  well  for  so  young  a  mariner.  Had  I  done  the  thing 
myself,  it  could  not  have  been  better.  But  what  think  you, 
brothers,  of  the  old  man  in  the  skiff  ?  There  was  a  chase, 
and  an  escape,  such  as  few  old  sea-dogs  have  the  fortune  to 
behold!  I  have  heard  of  a  smuggler  that  was  chased  a 
hundred  times  by  his  majesty's  cutters,  in  the  chops  of  the 
Channel,  and  which  always  had  a  fog  handy  to  run  into,  but 
from  which  no  man  could  truly  say  he  ever  saw  her  come 
out  again !  This  skiff  may  have  plied  between  the  land  and 
that  Guernseyman,  for  anything  I  know  to  the  contrary; 
but  it  is  not  a  boat  I  wish  to  pull  a  scull  in." 

"  That  was  a  remarkable  flight!"  exclaimed  the  elder  sea- 
man, whose  faith  in  the  character  of  our  adventurer  began 
to  give  way  gradually,  before  such  an  accumulation  of 
testimony. 

"  I  call  it  so;  though  other  men  may  possibly  know  better 
than  I,  who  have  only  followed  the  water  five-and-thirty 
years.  Then,  here  is  the  sea  getting  up  in  an  unaccount- 
able manner!  and  look  at  these  rags  of  clouds,  which 
darken  the  heavens;  and  yet  there  is  light  enough,  coming 
from  the  ocean,  for  a  good  scholar  to  read  by!" 

"I've  often  seen  the  weather  as  it  it* now." 

"Ay,  who  has  not?  It  is  seldom  that  any  man,  let  him 
come  from  what  part  he  will,  makes  his  first  voyage  as  cap- 
tain. Let  who  will  be  out  to-night  upon  the  water,  I'll  en- 
gage he  has  been  there  before.  I  have  seen  worse-looking 
skies,  and  even  worse-looking  water  than  this ;  but  I  never 
knew  any  good  come  of  either.  The  night  I  was  wrecked 
in  the  bay  of  - 

"In  the  waist  there!"  cried  Wilder. 

Had  a  warning  voice  arisen  from  the  turbulent  and  rush- 
ing ocean  itself,  it  would  not  have  sounded  more  alarming 
in  the  startled  ears  of  the  conscious  seamen,  than  this 


234  THE  RED  ROVER. 

sudden  hail.  Their  young  commander  found  it  necessary 
to  repeat  it,  before  even  Knighthead,  the  proper  and  official 
spokesman,  could  muster  resolution  to  answer. 

"  Get  the  fore-topgallant-sail  on  the  ship,  sir,"  continued 
Wilder,  when  the  customary  reply  let  him  know  that  he  had 
been  heard. 

The  mate  and  his  companions  regarded  each  other,  for  a 
moment,  in  dull  admiration;  and  many  a  melancholy  shake 
of  the  head  was  exchanged,  before  one  of  the  party  threw 
himself  into  the  weather-rigging,  proceeding  aloft  with  a 
doubting  mind,  in  order  to  loosen  the  sail  in  question. 

There  was  certainly  enough,  in  the  desperate  manner 
with  which  Wilder  pressed  the  canvas  on  the  vessel,  to  ex- 
cite distrust,  either  of  his  intentions  or  judgment,  in  the 
opinions  of  men  less  influenced  by  superstition  than  those 
it  was  now  his  lot  to  command.  It  had  long  been  apparent 
to  Earing,  and  his  more  ignorant,  and  consequently  more 
obstinate,  brother  officer,  that  their  young  superior  had  the 
same  desire  to  escape  from  the  spectral-looking  ship,  which 
so  strangely  followed  their  movements,  as  they  had  them- 
selves. They  only  differed  in  the  mode;  but  this  difference 
was  so  very  material  that  the  two  mates  consulted  together 
apart,  and  then  Earing,  something  stimulated  by  the  hardy 
opinions  of  his  coadjutor,  approached  his  commander  with 
the  determination  of  'delivering  the  results  of  their  united 
judgments,  with  the  directness  which  he  thought  the  occa- 
sion now  demanded.  But  there  was  that  in  the  steady  eye 
and  calm  mien  of  Wilder  that  caused  him  to  touch  on  the 
dangerous  subject  with  a  discretion  and  circumlocution  that 
were  a  little  remarkable  for  the  individual.  He  stood 
watching  the  effect  of  the  sail  recently  spread,  for  several 
minutes,  before  he  even  presumed  to  open  his  mouth.  But 
a  terrible  encounter,  between  the  vessel  and  a  wave  that 
lifted  its  angry  crest  apparently  some  dozen  feet  above  the 
approaching  bows,  gave  him  courage  to  proceed,  by  admon- 
ishing him  afresh  of  the  danger  of  continuing  silent. 


THE    RED    ROVER.  235 

"  I  do  not  see  that  we  drop  the  stranger,  though  the  ship 
is  wallowing  through  the  water  so  heavily,"  he  commenced, 
determined  to  be  as  circumspect  as  possible  in  his  advances. 

Wilder  bent  another  of  his  frequent  glances  on  the  misty 
object  in  the  horizon,  and  then  turned  his  frowning  eye 
towards  the  point  whence  the  wind  proceeded,  as  if  he  would 
invite  its  heaviest  blasts;  he,  however,  made  no  answer. 

"  We  have  ever  found  the  crew  discontented  at  the  pumps, 
sir,''  resumed  the  other,  after  a  sufficient  pause  for  the  reply 
he  in  vain  expected:  "  I  need  not  tell  an  officer,  who  knows 
his  duty  so  well,  that  seamen  rarely  love  their  pumps." 

"Whatever  I  may  find  necessary  to  order,  Mr.  Earing, 
this  ship's  company  will  find  it  necessary  to  execute." 

There  was  a  settled  air  of  command  in  the  manner  with 
which  this  tardy  answer  was  given,  that  did  not  fail  of  its 
effect.  Earing  recoiled  a  step  submissively,  affecting  to  be 
lost  in  consulting  the  driving  masses  of  clouds;  then,  sum- 
moning his  resolution,  he  attempted  to  renew  the  attack  in 
a  different  quarter. 

"Is  it  your  deliberate  opinion,  Captain  Wilder,"  he  said, 
using  the  title  to  which  the  claim  of  our  adventurer  might 
well  be  questioned,  with  a  view  to  propitiate  him, — "  is  it 
then  your  deliberate  opinion,  that  the  Royal  Caroline  can, 
by  any  human  means,  be  made  to  drop  yonder  vessel?" 

"  I  fear  not,"  returned  the  young  man,  drawing  a  breath  so 
long,  that  all  his  secret  concern  seemed  struggling  in  his 
breast  for  utterance. 

"  And,  sir,  with  proper  submission  to  your  better  educa- 
tion and  authority  in  this  ship,  I  know  not.  I  have  often 
seen  these  matches  tried  in  my  time ;  and  well  do  I  know 
that  nothing  is  gained  by  straining  a  vessel  with  the  hope 
of  getting  to  windward  of  one  of  these  flyers!" 

"  Take  the  glass,  Earing,  and  tell  me  under  what  canvas 
the  stranger  is  going,  and  what  you  think  his  distance  may 
be,"  said  Wilder,  without  appearing  to  advert  at  all  to  what 
the  other  had  just  observed. 


236  THE    RED    ROVER. 

The  honest  and  really  well-meaning  mate  deposited  his 
hat  on  the  quarter-deck,  and  did  as  desired.  When  his  look 
had  been  long,  grave,  and  deeply  absorbed,  he  closed  the 
glass  with  the  palm  of  his  broad  hand,  and  replied  in  the 
manner  of  one  whose  opinion  was  sufficiently  matured : 

"  If  yonder  sail  had  been  built  and  fitted  like  other  craft," 
he  said,  "  I  should  not  be  backward  in  pronouncing  her  a 
full-rigged  ship,  under  three  single-reefed  topsails,  courses, 
spanker,  and  jib." 

"  Has  she  no  more?" 

"To  that  I  would  qualify,  provided  an  opportunity  were 
given  me  to  make  sure  that  she  is,  in  all  respects,  like  other 
vessels." 

"And  yet,  Earing,  with  all  this  press  of  canvas,  by  the 
compass  we  have  not  left  her  a  foot." 

"  Lord,  sir,"  returned  the  mate,  shaking  his  head  like  one 
who  was  well  convinced  of  the  folly  of  such  efforts,  "  if  you 
were  to  split  every  cloth  in  the  main- course,  you  will  never 
alter  the  bearings  of  that  craft  an  inch,  till  the  sun  shall 
rise!  Then,  indeed,  such  as  have  eyes  that  are  good 
enough  might  perhaps  see  her  sailing  about  among  the 
clouds ;  though  it  has  never  been  my  fortune,  be  it  bad  or 
be  it  good,  to  fall  in  with  one  of  these  cruisers  after  the  day 
has  fairly  dawned." 

"And  the  distance?"  said  Wilder;  "you  have  not  yet 
spoken  of  her  distance." 

"That  is  much  as  people  choose  to  measure.  She  may 
be  here,  nigh  enough  to  toss  a  biscuit  into  our  tops;  or  she 
may  be  there,  where  she  seems  to  be,  hull  down  in  the 
horizon." 

"  But,  if  where  she  seems  to  be?" 

"  Why,  she  seems  to  be  a  vessel  of  about  six  hundred  tons, 
and,  judging  from  appearances  only,  a  man  might  be 
tempted  to  say  she  was  a  couple  of  leagues,  more  or  less, 
under  our  lee." 

"I  put  her  at  the  same!     Six  miles  to  windward  is  not  a 


THE    RED    ROVER.  237 

little  advantage  in  a  hard  chase.  By  heavens,  Earing,  I'll 
drive  the  Caroline  out  of  water,  but  I'll  leave  him!" 

"That  might  be  done  if  the  ship  had  wings  like  a  curlew 
or  a  sea-gull;  but,  as  it  is,  I  think  we  are  more  likely  to 
drive  her  under." 

"  She  bears  her  canvas  well,  so  far.  You  know  not  what 
the  boat  can  do  when  urged." 

"  I  have  seen  her  sailed  in  all  weathers,  Captain  Wilder, 
but " 

His  mouth  was  suddenly  closed.  A  vast  black  wave 
reared  itself  between  the  ship  and  the  eastern  horizon,  and 
came  rolling  onward,  seeming  to  threaten  to  engulf  all  be- 
fore» it.  *  Even  Wilder  watched  the  shock  with  breathless 
anxiety,  conscious,  for  the  moment,  that  he  had  exceeded 
the  bounds  of  sound  discretion  in  urging  his  ship  so  power- 
fully against  such  a  mass  of  water.  Luckily  the  sea  broke 
a  few  fathoms  from  the  bows  of  the  Caroline,  sending  its 
surge  in  a  flood  of  foam  upon  her  decks.  For  half  a  minute 
the  forward  part  of  the  vessel  disappeared,  as  if,  unable  to 
mount  the  swell,  it  were  striving  to  go  through  it,  and  then 
she  heavily  emerged,  gemmed  with  a  million  of  the  scintil- 
lating insects  of  the  ocean.  The  ship  stopped,  trembling 
in  every  joint  of  her  massive  and  powerful  frame,  like  some 
affrighted  courser;  and,  when  she  resumed  her  course,  it 
was  with  a  moderation  that  appeared  to  warn  those  who 
governed  her  movements  of  their  indiscretion. 

Earing  faced  his  commander  in  silence,  perfectly  con- 
scious that  nothing  he  could  utter  contained  an  argument 
like  this.  The  seamen  no  longer  hesitated  to  mutter  their 
disapprobation  aloud,  and  many  a  prophetic  opinion  .was 
ventured  concerning  the  consequences  of  such  reckless  risks. 
To  all  this  Wilder  turned  an  insensible  ear.  Firm  in  his 
secret  purpose,  he  would  have  braved  a  greater  hazard  to 
accomplish  his  object.  But  a  distinct  though  smothered 
shriek,  from  the  stern  of  the  vessel,  reminded  him  of  the 
fear  of  others.  Turning  quickly  on  his  heel,  he  approached 


238  THE    RED    ROVER. 

the  still  trembling  Gertrude  and  her  governess,  who  had 
both  been,  throughout  the  whole  of  those  long  and  tedious 
hours,  inobtrusive,  but  deeply  interested,  observers  of  his 
smallest  movements. 

"  The  vessel  bore  that  shock  so  well,  I  have  great  reliance 
on  her  powers,"  he  said,  in  a  soothing  voice,  but  with  words 
that  were  intended  to  lull  her  into  a  blind  security.  "  With 
a  firm  ship,  a  thorough  seaman  is  never  at  a  loss." 

"  Mr.  Wilder,"  returned  the  governess,  "  I  have  seen  much 
of  this  terrible  element  on  which  you  live.  It  is  vain  to 
think  of  deceiving  me.  I  know  that  you  are  urging  the 
vessel  beyond  what  is  usual.  Have  you  sufficient  motive 
for  this  hardihood?" 

"Madam,— I  have!" 

"And  is  it,  like  so  many  of  your  motives,  to  continue 
locked  forever  in  your  own  breast?  or  may  we,  who  are 
equal  participators  in  its  consequences,  claim  to  share 
equally  in  the  reason?" 

"  Since  you  know  so  much  of  the  profession,"  returned 
the  young  man,  slightly  laughing,  but  in  a  way  that  rendered 
what  he  had  said  more  alarming  by  the  sounds  produced  in 
the  unnatural  effort,  "  you  need  not  be  told  that,  in  order 
to  get  a  ship  to  windward,  it  is  necessary  to  show  her 
canvas." 

"  You  can,  at  least,  answer  one  of  my  questions  more  di- 
rectly. Is  this  wind  sufficiently  favorable  to  pass  the  dan- 
gerous shoals  of  the  Hatteras?" 

"  I  doubt  it." 

"Then  why  not  return  to  the  place  whence  we  came?" 

"Will  you  consent  to  that?"  demanded  the  youth,  with 
the  swiftness  of  thought. 

"  I  would  go  to  my  father,"  said  Gertrude,  with  a  rapidity 
so  nearly  resembling  his  own,  that  the  ardent  girl  appeared 
to  want  breath  to  utter  the  little  she  said. 

"And  I  am  willing,  Mr.  Wilder,  to  abandon  this  ship  en- 
tirely," calmly  resumed  the  governess.  "  I  require  no  ex- 


THE    RED    ROVER.  239 

planation  of  all  your  mysterious  warnings:  restore  us  to  our 
friends  in  Newport,  and  no  further  questions  shall  ever  be 
asked." 

"  It  might  be  done!"  muttered  our  adventurer;  "  it  might 
be  done !  A  few  busy  hours  would  do  it,  with  this  wind. — 
Mr.  Earing!" 

The  mate  was  instantly  at  his  elbow.  Wilder  pointed  to 
the  dim  object  to  leeward;  and,  handing  him  the  glass,  de- 
sired that  he  would  take  another  view.  Each  again  looked, 
in  turn,  long  and  closely. 

"  He  shows  no  more  sail !"  said  the  commander  impa- 
tiently, when  his  own  prolonged  gaze  was  ended. 

"  Not  a  cloth,  sir.  But  what  matters  it  to  such  a  craft, 
how  much  canvas  is  spread,  or  how  the  wind  blows?" 

"  Earing,  I  think  there  is  too  much  southing  in  this 
breeze ;  and  there  is  more  brewing  in  yonder  streak  of  dusky 
clouds  on  our  beam.  Let  the  ship  fall  off  a  couple  of  points 
or  more,  and  take  the  strain  off  the  spars  by  a  pull  upon  the 
weather-braces." 

The  simple-minded  mate  heard  the  order  with  an  aston- 
ishment he  did  not  care  to  conceal.  There  needed  no  ex- 
planation to  teach  one  of  his  experience  that  the  effect 
would  be  to  go  over  the  same  track  they  had  just  passed ; 
and  that  it  was,  in  substance,  abandoning  the  objects  of  the 
voyage.  He  presumed  to  defer  his  compliance  in  order  to 
remonstrate. 

"  I  hope  there  is  no  offence  for  an.  elderly  seaman,  like 
myself,  Captain  Wilder,  in  venturing  an  opinion  on  the 
weather,"  he  said.  "  When  the  pocket  of  the  owner  is  in- 
terested, my  judgment  approves  of  going  about,  for  I  have 
no  taste  for  land  that  the  wind  blows  on,  instead  of  off. 
But  by  easing  the  ship  with  a  reef  or  two,  she  would  always 
be  jogging  seaward ;  and  all  we  gain  would  be  clear  gain, 
because  it  is  so  much  off  the  Hatteras.  Besides,  who  can 
say  that  to-morrow,  or  the  next  day,  we  sha'n't  have  a  puff 
out  of  America,  here  at  northwest?" 


24O  THE    RED    ROVER. 

"  A  couple  of  points  fall  off  and  a  pull  upon  your  weather- 
braces,"  said  Wilder,  in  a  way  to  show  that  he  was  in  ear- 
nest. 

It  would  have  exceeded  the  peaceful  and  submissive  dis- 
position of  the  honest  Earing  to  delay  any  longer.  The  or- 
ders were  given  to  the  inferiors ;  and,  as  a  matter  of  course, 
they  were  obeyed — though  ill-suppressed  and  portentous 
sounds  of  discontent,  at  the  undetermined  and  seemingly 
unreasonable,  changes  in  their  officer's  mind,  might  have 
been  heard  issuing  from  the  mouths  of  Knighthead  and  the 
other  veterans  of  the  crew. 

To  all  these  symptoms  of  disaffection  Wilder  remained 
utterly  indifferent.  If  he  heard  them  at  all,  he  either  dis- 
dained to  yield  them  any  notice,  or,  guided  by  a  temporiz- 
ing policy,  he  chose  to  appear  unconscious  of  their  import. 
In  the  mean  time  the  vessel,  like  a  bird  whose  wing  had 
wearied  with  struggling  against  the  tempest,  and  which  in- 
clines from  the  gale  to  choose  an  easier  course,  glided  swiftly 
away,  quartering  the  crests  of  the  waves,  or  sinking  grace- 
fully into  their  troughs,  as  she  yielded  to  the  force  of  a  wind 
that  was  now^made  to  be  favorable.  The  sea  rolled  on,  in  a 
direction  no  longer  adverse  to  her  course;  and,  by  receding 
from  the  breeze,  the  quantity  of  sail  spread  was  no  longer 
trying  to  her  powers  of  endurance.  Still,  in  the  opinion  of 
all  her  crew,  she  had  quite  enough  canvas  exposed  to  a  night 
of  so  portentous  aspect.  But  not  so  in  the  judgment  of  the 
stranger  who  was  charged  with  the  guidance  of  her  destinies. 
In  a  voice  that  still  admonished  his  inferiors  of  the  danger 
of  disobedience,  he  commanded  several  broad  sheets  of  stud- 
ding-sails to  be  set  in  quick  succession.  Urged  by  these 
new  impulses,  the  ship  went  careering  over  the  waves, 
leaving  a  train  of  foam  in  her  track  that  rivalled,  in  its 
volume  and  brightness,  the  tumbling  summit  of  the  largest 
swell. 

When  sail  after  sail  had  been  set,  until  even  Wilder  was 
obliged  to  confess  to  himself  that  the  Royal  Caroline, 


THE    RED    ROVER.  24 1 

staunch  as  she  was,  would  bear  no  more,  our  adventurer  be- 
gan to  pace  the  deck  again,  and  to  cast  his  eyes  about  him 
to  watch  the  fruits  of  his  new  experiment.  The  change  in 
the  course  of  the  Bristol  trader  had  made  a  corresponding 
change  in  the  apparent  direction  of  the  stranger,  who  yet 
floated  in  the  horizon  like  a  diminutive  and  misty  shadow. 
Still  the  unerring  compass  told  the  watchful  mariner  that 
she  continued  to  maintain  the  same  relative  position  as 
when  first  seen.*  No  effort,  on  the  part  of  Wilder,  could 
alter  her  bearing  an  inch.  Another  hour  soon  passed  away, 
during  which,  as  the  log  told  him,  his  own  ship  had  rolled 
through  three  leagues  of  water,  and  still  there  lay  the  stran- 
ger in  the  west,  as  if  he  were  merely  a  lessened  shadow  of 
herself,  cast  by  the  Caroline  upon  the  distant  and  dusky 
clouds.  An  alteration  in  his  course  exposed  a  broader  sur- 
face of  his  canvas  to  the  eyes  of  those  who  watched  him, 
but  in  nothing  else  was  there  a  visible  change.  If  his  sail 
had  been  materially  increased,  the  distance  and  the  obscur- 
ity prevented  even  the  understanding  Earing  from  detecting 
it.  Perhaps  the  excited  mind  of  the  worthy  mate  was  too 
much  disposed  to  believe  in  the  miraculous  powers  pos- 
sessed by  his  unaccountable  neighbor,  to  admit  of  the  full 
exercise  of  his  .experienced  faculties  on  the  occasion;  but 
even  Wilder,  who  vexed  his  sight,  in  often-repeated  exami- 
nations, was  obliged  to  confess  to  himself,  that  the  stranger 
seemed  to  glide  across  the  waste  of  waters  more  like  a  body 
floating  in  the  air  than  a  ship  resorting  to  the  known  expe- 
dients of  mariners. 

Mrs.  Wyllys  and  her  charge,  by  this  time,  had  retired  to 
their  cabin ;  the  former  secretly  felicitating  herself  on  the 
prospect  of  soon  quitting  a  vessel  that  had  commenced  its 
voyage  under  such  sinister  circumstances,  as  to  have  de- 
ranged the  equilibrium  of  even  her  governed  and  well-dis- 

*  The  reader  will  understand  that  the  apparent  direction  of  a  ship  at  sea,  seen  from 
the  deck  of  another,  changes  with  the  change  of  course,  but  that  the  true  direction  can 
only  be  varied  by  a  change  of  relative  position. 

16 


242  THE    RED    ROVER. 

ciplined  mind.  Gertrude  was  left  in  ignorance  of  the 
change.  To  her  uninstructed  eye,  all  appeared  the  same  on 
the  wilderness  of  the  ocean;  Wilder  having  it  in  his  power 
to  alter  the  direction  of  his  vessel  as  often  as  he  pleased, 
without  his  fairer  and  more  youthful  passenger  being  ariy 
the  wiser. 

Not  so  with  the  intelligent  commander  of  the  Caroline 
himself.  To  him  there  was  neither  obscurity  nor  doubt  in 
the  midst  of  his  midnight  path.  His  eye  had  long  been 
familiar  with  every  star  that  rose  from  out  the  dark  and  rag- 
ged outline  of  the  sea,  nor  was  there  a  blast  that  swept 
across  the  ocean  that  his  burning  cheek  could  not  tell  from 
what  quarter  of  the  heavens  it  poured  out  its  power.  He 
knew,  and  understood,  each  inclination  made  by  the  bows 
of  his  ship :  his  mind  kept  even  pace  with  her  windings  and 
turnings,  in  all  her  trackless  wanderings;  and  he  had  little 
need  to  consult  any  of  the  accessories  of  his  art,  to  tell  him 
what  course  to  steer,  or  in  what  manner  to  guide  the  move- 
ments of  the  nice  machine  he  governed.  Still  he  was  una- 
ble to  explain  the  extraordinary  evolutions  of  the  stranger. 
The  smallest  change  he  ordered  seemed  rather  anticipated 
than  followed;  and  his  hopes  of  eluding  a  vigilance  that 
proved  so  watchful  was  baffled  by  a  facility  of  manoeuvring, 
and  a  superiority  of  sailing,  that  really  began  to  assume, 
even  to  his  intelligent  eyes,  the  appearance  of  some  unac- 
countable agency. 

While  our  adventurer  was  engaged  in  the  gloomy  mus- 
ings that  such  impressions  were  not  ill  adapted  to  excite, 
the  heavens  and  the  sea  began  to  exhibit  new  aspects.  The 
bright  streak  which  had  so  long  hung  along  the  eastern  hor- 
izon, as  if  the  curtain  of  the  firmament  had  been  slightly 
opened  to  admit  a  passage  for  the  winds,  was  now  suddenly 
closed ;  and  heavy  masses  of  black  clouds  began  to  gather 
in  that  quarter,  until  vast  volumes  of  the  vapor  were  piled 
upon  the  water,  blending  the  two  elements  in  one.  On  the 
other  hand,  the  gloomy  canopy  lifted  in  the  west,  and  a  long 


THE  RED  ROVER.  243 

belt  of  lurid  light  was  shed  athwart  the  view.  In  this  flood 
of  bright  arid  portentous  mist  the  stranger  still  floated, 
though  there  were  moments  when  his  faint  and  fanciful  out- 
lines seemed  to  be  melting  into  air. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

Yet  again  ?    What  do  you  here  ?     Shall  we  give  o'er  and  drown  ?    Have  y6u 

a  mind  to  sink  ? —  Tempest, 

OUR  watchful  adventurer  was  not  blind  to  these  sinister 
omens.  No  sooner  did  the  peculiar  atmosphere  by  which 
the  mysterious  image  that  he  so  often  examined  was  sud- 
denly surrounded,  catch  his  eye,  than  his  voice  was  raised 
in  the  clear,  powerful,  and  exciting  notes  of  warning. 

"Stand  by,"  he  called  aloud,  "to  in  all  studding-sails! 
Down  with  them!"  he  added,  scarcely  giving  his  former 
words  time  to  reach  the  ears  of  his  subordinates.  "  Down 
with  every  rag  of  them,  fore  and  aft  the  ship!  Man  the 
top-gallant  clewlines,  Mr.  Earing.  Clew  up,  and  clew 
down !  In  with  everything,  cheerily,  men ! — In !" 

This  was  a  language  to  which  the  crew  of  the  Caroline 
were  no  strangers,  and  it  was  doubly  welcome,  since  the 
meanest  seaman  among  them  had  long  thought  that  his  un- 
known commander  had  been  heedlessly  trifling  with  the 
safety  of  the  vessel,  by  the  hardy  manner  in  which  he  disre- 
garded the  wild  symptoms  of  the  weather.  But  they  under- 
valued the  keen-eyed  vigilance  of  Wilder.  He  had  certainly 
driven  the  Bristol  trader  through  the  water  at  a  rate  she  had 
never  been  known  to  go  before;  but,  thus  far,  the  facts  them- 
selves gave  evidence  in  his  favor,  since  no  injury  was  the 
consequence  of  what  they  deemed  temerity.  At  the  quick 
sudden  order  just  given,  however,  the  whole  ship  was  in  an 
uproar.  A  dozen  seamen  called  to  each  other,  from  differ- 
ent parts  of  the  vessel,  each  striving  to  lift  his  voice  above 


244  THE  RED  ROVER. 

the  roaring  ocean;  and  there  was  every  appearance  of  a 
general  and  inextricable  confusion ;  but  the  sarne  authority 
which  had  so  unexpectedly  aroused  them  into  activity,  pro- 
duced order  from  their  ill-directed  though  vigorous  efforts. 

Wilder  had  spoken,  to  awaken  the  drowsy  and  to  excite 
the  torpid.  The  instant  he  found  each  man  on  the  alert,  he 
resumed  his  orders  with  a  calmness  that  gave  a  direction  to 
the  powers  of  all,  and  yet  with  an  energy  that  he  well  knew 
was  called  for  by  the  occasion.  The  enormous  sheets  of 
duck,  which  had  looked  like  so  many  light  clouds  in  the 
murky  and  threatening  heavens,  were  soon  seen  fluttering 
wildly,  as  they  descended  from  their  high  places,  and,  in  a 
few  minutes,  the  ship  was  reduced  to  the  action  of  her  more 
secure  and  heavier  canvas.  To  effect  this  object,  every  man 
in  the  ship  exerted  his  powers  to  the  utmost,  under  the  guid- 
ance of  the  steady  but  rapid  mandates  of  their  commander. 
Then  followed  a  short  and  apprehensive  pause.  All  eyes 
were  turned  toward  the  quarter  where  the  ominous  signs  had 
been  discovered;  and  each  individual  endeavored  to  read 
their  import,  with  an  intelligence  correspondent  to  the  de- 
gree of  skill  he  might  have  acquired,  during  his  particular 
period  of  service  on  that  treacherous  element  which  was 
now  his  home. 

The  dim  tracery  of  the  stranger's  form  had  been  swallowed 
by  the  flood  of  misty  light,  which,  by  this  time,  rolled  along 
the  sea  like  drifting  vapor,  semi-pellucid,  preternatural,  and 
seemingly  tangible.  The  ocean  itself  appeared  admonished 
that  a  quick  and  violent  change  was  nigh.  The  waves 
ceased  to  break  in  their  former  foaming  and  brilliant  crests, 
and  black  masses  of  the  water  lifted  their  surly  summits 
against^the  eastern  horizon,  no  longer  shedding, their  own 
peculiar  and  lucid  atmosphere  around  them.  .The  breeze 
which  had  been  so  fresh,  and  which  had  even  blown  with  a 
force  that  nearly  amounted  to  a  gale,  was  lulling  and  becom- 
ing uncertain,  as  it  might  be  awed  by  the  more  violent  power 
that  was  gathering  along  the  borders  of  the  sea,  in  the  direc- 


THE   RED    ROVER.  245 

tion  of  the  neighboring  continent.  Each  moment,  the  east- 
ern puffs  of  air  lost  their  strength,  becoming  more  and  more 
feeble,  until,  in  an  incredibly  short  period,  the  heavy  sails 
were  heard  flapping  against  the  masts.  A  frightful  and 
ominous  calm  succeeded.  At  this  instant  a  gleam  flashed 
from  the  fearful  obscurity  of  the  ocean,  and  a  roar,  like  that 
of  a  sudden  burst  of  thunder,  bellowed  along  the  waters. 
The  seamen  turned  their  startled  looks  on  each  other,  stand- 
ing aghast,  as  if  a  warning  of  what  was  to  follow  had  come 
out  of  the  heavens  themselves.  But  their  calm  and  more 
sagacious  commander  put  a  different  construction  on  the 
signal.  His  lip  curled,  in  high  professional  pride,  and  he 
muttered  with  scorn : 

"  Does  he  imagine  that  we  sleep?  Ay,  he  has  got  it  him- 
self, and  would  open  our  eyes  to  what  is  coming !  What 
does  he  conjecture  we  have  been  about,  since  the  middle 
watch  was  set?" 

Wilder  made  a  swift  turn  or  two  on  the  quarter-deck,  turn- 
ing his  quick  glances  from  one  quarter  bf  the  heavens  to 
another;  from  the  black  and  lulling  water  on  which  his 
vessel  was  rolling,  to  the  sails;  and  from  his  silent  and 
profoundly  expectant  crew,  to  the  dim  lines  of  spars  that 
were  waving  above  his  head,  like  so  many  pencils  tracing 
their  curvilinear  and  wanton  images  over  the  murky  vol- 
umes of  the  superincumbent  clouds. 

"Lay  the  after-yards  square!"  he  said,  in  a  voice  which 
was  heard  by  every  man  on  deck,  though  his  words  were 
apparently  spoken  but  little  above  his  breath.  The  creak- 
ing of  the  blocks,  as  the  spars  came  slowly  and  heavily 
round  to  the  indicated  position,  contributed  to  the  imposing 
character  of  the  moment,  sounding  like  notes  of  fearful 
preparation. 

"Haul  up  the  courses!"  resumed  Wilder  with  the  same 
eloquent  calmness  of  manner.  Then,  taking  another  glance 
at  the  threatening  horizon,  he  added  slowly  but  with  empha- 
sis, "  Furl  them — furl  them  both.  '  Away  aloft,  and  hand 


246  THE    RED    ROVER. 

your  courses!"  he  continued  in  a  shout;  "roll  them  up, 
cheerily;  in  with  them,  boys,  cheerily;  in!" 

The  conscious  seamen  took  their  impulses  from  the  tones 
of  their  commander.  In  a  moment,  twenty  dark  forms  were 
leaping  up  the  rigging,  with  the  alacrity  of  so  many  quad- 
rupeds. In  another  minute,  the  vast  and  powerful  sheets  of 
canvas  were  effectually  rendered  harmless,  by  securing 
them  in  tight  rolls  to  their  respective  spars.  The  men  de- 
scended as  swiftly  as  they  had  mounted  to  the  yards;  and 
then  succeeded  another  breathing  pause.  At  this  appalling 
moment,  a  candle  would  have  sent  its  flame  perpendicularly 
towards  the  heavens.  The  ship,  missing  the  steadying  power 
of  the  wind,  rolled  heavily  in  the  troughs  of  the  seas,  which 
began  to  lessen  at  each  instant,  as  if  the  startled  element 
was  recalling  into  the  security  of  its  own  vast  bosom  that 
portion  of  its  particles  which  had  so  lately  been  permitted  to 
gambol  madly  over  its  surface.  The  water  washed  sullenly 
along  the  side  of  the  ship,  or,  as  she  laboring  rose  from  one 
of  her  frequent  falls  into  the  hollows  of  the  waves,  it  shot 
back  into  the  ocean  from  her  decks  in  glittering  cascades. 
Every  hue  of  the  heavens,  every  sound  of  the  element,  and 
each  dusky  and  anxious  countenance,  helped  to  proclaim  the 
intense  interest  of  the  moment.  In  this  brief  interval  of  ex- 
pectation and  inactivity,  the  mates  again  approached  their 
commander. 

"It  is  an  awful  night,  Captain  Wilder!"  said  Earing,  pre- 
suming on  his  rank  to  be  the  first  to  speak. 

"  I  have  known  far  less  notice  given  of  a  shift  of  wind," 
was  the  answer. 

"We  have  had  time  to  gather  in  our  kites,  'tis  true,  sir; 
but  there  are  signs  and  warnings  that  come  with  this  change 
which  the  oldest  seaman  must  dread!" 

"Yes,"  continued  Knighthead,  in  a  voice  that  sounded 
hoarse  and  powerful,  even  amid  the  fearful  accessories  of 
that  scene;  "yes,  it  is  no  trifling  commission  that  can  call 
people  that  I  shall  not  name  out  upon  the  water  in  such  a 


THE   RED    ROVER.  247 

night  as  this.  It  was  in  just  such  weather  that  I  saw  the 
Vesuvius  ketch  go  to  a  place  so  deep,  that  her  own  mortar 
would  not  have  been  able  to  have  sent  a  bomb  into  the  open 
air,  had  hands  and  fire  been  there  fit  to  let  it  off!" 

"  Ay ;  and  it  was  in  such  a  time  that  the  Greenlandman 
was  cast  upon  the  Orkneys,  in  as  flat  a  calm  as  ever  lay  on 
the  sea." 

"  Gentlemen,"  said  Wilder,  with  a  peculiar  and  perhaps 
an  ironical  emphasis  on  the  word,  "  what  would  ye  have? 
There  is  not  a  breath  of  air  stirring,  and  the  ship  is  naked 
to  her  topsails!" 

It  would  have  been  difficult  for  either  of  the  two  malcon- 
tents to  give  a  very  satisfactory  answer  to  this  question. 
Both  were  secretly  goaded  by  mysterious  and  superstitious 
apprehensions,  that  were  powerfully  aided  by  the  more  real 
and  intelligible  aspect  of  the  night;  but  neither  had  so  far 
forgotten  his  manhood,  and  his  professional  pride,  as  to  lay 
bare  the  full  extent  of  his  own  weakness,  at  a  moment  when 
he  was  liable  to  be  called  upon  for  the  exhibition  of  quali- 
ties of  a  more  positive  and  determined  character.  The  feel- 
ing that  was  uppermost  betrayed  itself  in  the  reply  of  Ear- 
ing, though  in  an  indirect  and  covert  manner. 

"  Yes,  the  vessel  is  snug  enough  now,"  he  said,  "  though 
eyesight  has  shown  us  it  is  no  easy  matter  to  drive  a 
freighted  ship  through  the  water  as  fast  as  one  of  those  fly- 
ing craft  aboard  which  no  man  can  say  who  stands  at  the 
helm,  by  what  compass  she  steers,  or  what  is  her  draught!" 

"Ay,"  resumed  Knighthead,  "I  call  the  Caroline  fast  for 
an  honest  trader.  There  are  few  square-rigged  boats  who 
do  not  wear  the  pennants  of  the  king,  that  can  eat  her  out 
of  the  wind  on  a  bowline,  or  hiring  her  into  their  wake  with 
studding-sails  set.  But  this  is  a  time  and  an  hour  to  make 
a  seaman  think.  Look  at  yon  hazy  light,  here  in  with  the 
land,  that  is  coming  so  fast  down  upon  us,  and  then  tell  me 
whether  it  comes  from  the  coast  of  America,  or  whether  it 
comes  from  out  of  the  stranger  who  has  been  so  long  run- 


248  THE    RED    ROVER. 

ning  under  our  lee,  but  who  has  got,  or  is  fast  getting,  the 
wind  of  us  at  last,  while  none  here  can  say  how,  or  why.  I 
have  just  this  much,  and  no  more,  to  say:  give  me  for  con- 
sort a  craft  whose  captain  I  know,  or  give  me  none!" 

"  Such  is  your  taste,  Mr.  Knighthead,"  said  Wilder,  cold- 
ly; "mine  may,  by  some  accident,  be  different." 

"  Yes,  yes,"  observed  the  more  cautious  and  prudent  Ear- 
ing, "  in  time  of  war,  and  with  letters  of  marque  aboard,  a 
man  may  honestly  hope  the  sail  he  sees  should  have  a  stran- 
ger for  her  master;  or  otherwise  he  would  never  fall  in  with 
an  enemy.  But,  though  an  Englishman  born  myself,  I 
should  rather  give  the  ship  in  that  mist  a  clear  sea,  seeing 
that  I  neither  know  her  nation  nor  her  cruise.  Ah,  Captain 
Wilder,  this  is  an  awful  sight  for  the  morning  watch!  Of- 
ten and  often  have  I  seen  the  sun  rise  in  the  east,  and  no 
harm  done;  but  little  good  can  come  of  a  day  when  the  light 
first  breaks  in  the  west.  Cheerfully  would  I  give  the  owners 
the  last  month's  pay,  hard  as  it  has  been  earned,  did  I  but 
know  under  what  flag  the  stranger  sails." 

"Frenchman,  Don,  or  Devil,  yonder  he  comes!"  cried 
Wilder.  Then,  turning  toward  the  attentive  crew,  he  shout- 
ed, in  a  voice  that  was  appalling  by  its  vehemence  and 
warning,  "  Let  run  the  after-halyards !  round  with  the  fore- 
yard;  round  with  it,  men,  with  a  will!" 

These  were  cries  that  the  startled  crew*  but  too  well  un- 
derstood. Every  nerve  and  muscle  were  exerted  to  execute 
the  orders,  to  be  in  readiness  for  the  tempest.  No  man 
spoke;  but  each  expended  the  utmost  of  his  power  and  skill 
in  direct  and  manly  efforts.  Nor  was  there,  in  verity,  a  mo- 
ment to  lose,  or  a  particle  of  human  strength  expended  here, 
without  a  sufficient  object. 

The  lurid  and  fearful-looking  mist,  which,  for  the  last 
quarter  of  an  hour,  had  been  gathering  in  the  northwest,  was 
driving  down  upon  them  with  the  speed  of  a  race-horse. 
The  air  had  already  lost  the  damp  and  peculiar  feeling  of 
an  easterly  breeze;  and  little  eddies  were  beginning  to  flut- 


THE    RED    ROVER.  249 

ter  among  the  masts  —  precursors  of  the  coming  squall. 
Then  a  rushing,  roaring  sound  was  heard  moaning  along 
the  ocean,  whose  surface  was  first  dimpled,  next  ruffled,  and 
finally  covered  with  a  sheet  of  clear,  white,  and  spotless 
foam.  At  the  next  moment,  the  power  of  the  wind  fell  upon 
the  inert  and  laboring  Bristol  trader. 

While  the  gust  was  approaching,  Wilder  had  seized  the 
slight  opportunity  afforded  by  the  changeful  puffs  of  air  to 
get  the  ship  as  much  as  possible  before  the  wind ;  but  the 
sluggish  movement  of  the  vessel  met  neither  the  wishes  of 
his  own  impatience  nor  the  exigencies  of  the  moment.  Her 
bows  slowly  and  heavily  fell  off  from  the  north,  leaving  her 
precisely  in  a  situation  to  receive  the  first  shock  on  her 
broadside.  Happy  it  was,  for  all  who  had  life  at  risk  in 
that  defenceless  vessel,  that  she  was  not  fated  to  receive  the 
whole  weight  of  the  tempest  at  a  blow.  The  sails  fluttered 
and  trembled  on  their  massive  yards,  bellying  and  collaps- 
ing alternately  for  a  minute,  and  then  the  rushing  wind 
swept  over  them  in  a  hurricane. 

The  Caroline  received  the  blast  like  a  stout  and  buoyant 
ship  as  she  was,  yielding  to  its  impulse  until  her  side  lay 
nealy  incumbent  on  the  element;  and  then,  as  if  the  fearful 
fabric  were  conscious  of  its  jeopardy,  it  seemed  to  lift  its 
reclining  masts  again,  struggling  to  work  its  way  through 
the  water. 

"  Keep  the  helm  a-weather!  Jam  it  a- weather,  for  your 
life!"  shouted  Wilder,  amid  the  roar  of  the  gust. 

The  veteran  seaman  at  the  wheel  obeyed  the  order  with 
steadiness,  but  in  vain  did  he  keep  his  eyes  on  the  margin 
of  his  head  sail,  to  watch  the  manner  in  which  the  ship 
would  obey  its  power.  Twice  more,  in  as  many  moments, 
the  giddy  masts  fell  toward  the  horizon,  waving  as  often 
gracefully  upward,  and  then  they  yielded  to  the  mighty  pres- 
sure of  the  wind,  until  the  whole  machine  lay  prostrate  on 
the  water. 

"  Be  cool!"  said  Wilder,  seizing  the  bewildered  Earing  by 


25O  THE   RED    ROVER. 

the  arm,  as  the  latter  rushed  madly  up  the  steep  of  the  deck; 
"  it  is  our  duty  to  be  calm :  bring  hither  an  axe." 

Quick  as  the  thought  which  gave  the  order,  the  admon- 
ished mate  complied,  jumping  into  the  mizzen-channels  of 
the  ship,  to  execute  with  his  own  hands  the  mandate  that  he 
knew  must  follow. 

"Shall  I  cut?"  he  demanded,  with  uplifted  arms,  and  :n 
a  voice  that  atoned  for  his  momentary  confusion,  by  its 
steadiness  and  force. 

"Hold!— Does  the  ship  mind  her  helm  at  all?" 

"  Not  an  inch,  sir." 

"  Then  cut,"  Wilder  clearly  and  calmly  added. 

A  single  blow  sufficed  for  the  discharge  of  this  important 
duty.  Extended  to  the  utmost  powers  of  endurance  by  the 
vast  weight  it  upheld,  the  lanyard  struck  by  Earing  no 
sooner  parted,  than  each  of  its  fellows  snapped  in  succes- 
sion, leaving  the  mast  dependent  on  its  wood  for  the  support 
of  all  the  ponderous  and  complicated  hamper  it  upheld. 

The  cracking  of  the  spar  came  next;  and  the  whole  fell, 
like  a  tree  that  had  been  snapped  at  its  foundation. 

"  Does  she  fall  off?"  called  Wilder,  to  the  observant  sea- 
man at  the  wheel. 

"  She  yielded  a  little,  sir;  but  this  new  squall  is  bringing 
her  up  again." 

"Shall  I  cut?"  shouted  Earing  from  the  main-rigging, 
whither  he  had  leaped,  like  a  tiger  who  had  bounded  on  his 
prey. 

"  Cut." 

A  louder  and  more  imposing  crash  succeeded  this  order, 
though  not  before  several  heavy  blows  had  been  struck  into 
the  massive  mast  itself.  As  before-,  the  sea  received  the 
tumbling  maze  of  spars,  rigging,  and  sails;  the  vessel  surg- 
ing, at  the  same  instant,  from  its  recumbent  position,  and 
rolling  far  and  heavily  to  windward. 

"She  rights!  she  rights!"  exclaimed  twenty  voices  which 
had  been  mute,  in  a  suspense  that  involved  life  and  death. 


THE    RED    ROVER.  251 

"Keep  her  dead  away!"  added  the  calm  but  authoritative 
voice  of  the  young  commander.  "  Stand  by  to  furl  the  fore- 
topsail — let  it  hang  a  moment  to  drag  the  ship  clear  of  the 
wreck — cut,  cut — cheerily,  men — hatchets  and  knives — cut 
with  all,  and  cut  ^all!" 

As  the  men  now  worked  with  the  vigor  of  hope,  the  ropes 
that  still  confined  the  fallen  spars  to  the  vessel  were  quickly 
severed;  and  the  Caroline,  by  this  time  dead  before  the 
gale,  appeared  barely  to  touch  the  foam  that  covered  the 
sea.  The  wind  came  over  the  waste  in  gusts  that  rumbled 
like  distant  thunder,  and  with  a  power  that  seemed  to 
threaten  to  lift  the  ship  from  its  proper  element.  As  a  pru- 
dent and  sagacious  seaman  had  let  fly  the  halyards  of  the 
solitary  sail  that  remained,  at  the  moment  the  squall  ap- 
proached, the  loosened  but  lowered  topsail  was  now  dis- 
tended in  a  manner  that  threatened  to  drag  after  it  the  only 
mast  which  still  stood.  Wilder  saw  the  necessity  of  getting 
rid  of  the  sail,  and  he  also  saw  the  utter  impossibility  of 
securing  it.  Calling  Earing  to  his  side,  he  pointed  out  the 
danger,  and  gave  the  necessary  order. 

"The  spar  cannot  stand  such  shocks  much  longer,"  he 
concluded ;  "  should  it  go  over  the  bows,  some  fatal  blow 
might  be  given  to  the  ship  at  the  rate  she  is  moving.  A 
man  or  two  must  be  sent  aloft  to  cut  the  sail  from  the 
yards." 

"  The  stick  is  bending  like  a  willow  whip,"  returned  the 
mate,  "  and  the  lower  mast  itself  is  sprung.  There  would 
be  great  danger  in  trusting  a  hand  in  that  top,  while  these 
wild  squalls  are  breathing  around  us." 

"You  may  be  right,"  returned  Wilder,  with  a  sudden  con- 
viction of  the  truth  of  what  the  other  had  said.  "  Stay  you 
then  here ;  if  anything  befall  me,  try  to  get  the  vessel  into 
port  as  far  north  as  the  Capes  of  Virginia,  at  least; — on  no 
account  attempt  Hatteras,  in  the  present  condition  of— 

"What  would  you  do,  Captain  Wilder?"  interrupted  the 
mate,  laying  his  hand  on  the  shoulder  of  his  commander? 


252  THE    RED    ROVER. 

who  had  already  thrown  his  sea-cap  on  the  deck,  and  was 
preparing  to  divest  himself  of  some  of  his  outer  garments. 

"  I  go  aloft  to  ease  the  mast  of  that  topsail,  without  which 
we  lose  the  spar,  and  possibly  the  ship." 

"I  see  that  plain  enough,  sir;  but,  shall  it  be  said  that 
another  did  the  duty  of  Edward  Earing  ?  It  .is  your  business 
to  carry  the  vessel  into  the  Capes  of  Virginia,  and  mine  to 
cut  the  topsail  adrift.  If  harm  comes  to  me,  why,  put  it  in 
the  log,  with  a  word  or  two  about  the  manner  in  which  I 
played  my  part.  That  is  the  most  proper  epitaph  for  a 
sailor." 

Wilder  made  no  resistance.  He  resumed  his  watchful 
and  reflecting  attitude,  with  the  simplicity  of  one  who  had 
been  too  long  trained  to  the  discharge  of  certain  obligations 
himself,  to  manifest  surprise  that  another  should  acknowl- 
edge their  imperative  character.  In  the  mean  time,  Earing 
proceeded  steadily  to  perform  what  he  had  just  promised. 
Passing  into  the  waist  of  the  ship,  he  provided  himself  with 
a  suitable  hatchet,  and  then,  without  speaking  a  syllable  to 
any  of  the  mute  but  attentive  seamen,  he  sprang  into  the 
fore-rigging,  every  strand  and  rope-yarn  of  which  was  tight- 
ened by  the  strain  nearly  to  snapping.  The  understanding 
eyes  of  his  observers  comprehended  his  intention;  and  with 
precisely  the  same  pride  of  station  as  had  urged  him  to  the 
dangerous  undertaking,  four  or  five  of  the  oldest  mariners 
jumped  upon  the  rattlings,  to  mount  into  an  air  that  appar- 
ently teemed  with  a  hundred  hurricanes. 

"Lie  down  out  of  the  fore-rigging,"  shouted  Wilder, 
through  a  deck  trumpet;  "lie  down;  all,  but  the  mate,  lie 
down !"  His  words  were  borne  past  the  inattentive  ears  of 
the  excited  and  mortified  followers  of  Earing,  but  for  once 
they  failed  of  their  effect.  Each  man  was  too  earnestly 
bent  on  his  purpose  to  listen  to  the  sounds  of  recall.  In 
less  than  a  minute,  the  whole  were  scattered  along  the  yards, 
prepared  to  obey  the  signal  of  their  officer.  The  mate  cast 
a  look  about  him;  perceiving  that  the  time  was  compara- 


THE    RED    ROVER.  2$ 3 

tively  favorable,  he  struck  a  blow  upon  the  large  rope  that 
confined  one  of  the  lower  angles  of  the  distended  and  burst- 
ing sail  to  the  yard.  The  effect  was  much  the  same  as 
would  be  produced  by  knocking  away  the  key-stone  of  an 
ill-cemented  arch.  The  canvas  broke  from  its  fastenings 
with  a  loud  explosion,  and,  for  an  instant,  it  was  seen  sail- 
ing in  the  air  ahead  of  the  ship,  as  if  it  were  sustained  on 
wings.  The  vessel  rose  on  a  sluggish  wave — the  lingering 
remains  of  the  former  breeze — and  settled  heavily  over  the 
rolling  surge,  borne  down  alike  by  its  own  weight  and  the 
renewed  violence  of  the  gusts.  At  this  critical  instant, 
while  the  seamen  aloft  were  still  gazing  in  the  direction  in 
which  the  little  cloud  of  canvas  had  disappeared,  a  lanyard 
of  the  lower  rigging  parted,  with  a  crack  that  reached  the 
ears  of  Wilder. 

"Lie  down!"  he  shouted  wildly  through  his  trumpet; 
"down  by  the  backstays;  down  for  your  lives;  every  mjjn 
of  you,  down!" 

A  solitary  individual  profited  by  the  warning,  gliding  tq 
the  deck  with  the  velocity  of  the  wind.  But  rope  parted 
after  rope,  and  the  fatal  snapping  of  the  wood  followed. 
For  a  moment,  the  towering  maze  tottered,  seeming  to  wave 
toward  every  quarter  of  the  heavens;  and  then,  yielding  to 
the  movements  of  the  hull,  the  whole  fell,  with  a  heavy 
crash,  into  the  sea.  Cord,  lanyard,  and  stay  snapped  like 
thread,  as  each  received  in  succession  the  strain  of  the  ship, 
leaving  the  naked  and  despoiled  hull  of  the  Caroline  to 
drive  before  the  tempest,  as  if  nothing  had  occurred  to  im- 
pede its  progress. 

A  mute  and  eloquent  pause  succeeded  the  disaster.  It 
seemed  as  if  the  elements  themselves  were  appeased  by  their 
work,  and  something  like  a  momentary  lull  in  the  awful 
rushing  of  the  winds  might  have  been  fancied.  Wilder 
sprang  to  the  side  of  the  vessel,  and  distinctly  beheld  the 
victims,  who  still  clung  to  their  frail  support.  He  even  saw 
Earing  waving  his  hand  in  adieu  with  a  seaman's  heart,  like 


254  THE    RED    ROVER. 

a  man  who  not  only  felt  how  desperate  was  his  situation, 
but  who  knew  how  to  meet  it  with  resignation.  Then  the 
wreck  of  spars,  with  all  who  clung  to  it,  was  swallowed  up 
in  the  body  of  the  frightful,  preternatural-looking  mist 
which  extended  on  every  side  of  them,  from  the  ocean  to 
the  clouds. 

"Stand  by  to  clear  away  a  boat!"  shouted  Wilder,  with- 
out pausing  to  think  of  the  impossibility  of  one's  swimming, 
or  of  effecting  the  least  good,  in  so  violent  a  tornado. 

But  the  amazed  and  confounded  seamen  who  remained 
needed  no  instruction  in  this  matter.  Not  a  man  moved, 
nor  was  the  smallest  symptom  of  obedience  given.  The 
mariners  looked  wildly  around  them,  each  endeavoring  to 
trace  in  the  dusky  countenance  of  some  shipmate  his  opin- 
ion of  the  extent  of  the  evil ;  but  not  a  mouth  opened  among 
them  all. 

0  "It  is  too  late — it  is  too  late!"  murmured  Wilder;  "hu- 
man skill  and  human  efforts  could  not  save  them!" 

"Sail,  ho!"  Knighthead  shouted  in  a  voice  that  was 
teeming  with  superstitious  awe. 

"Let  him  come  on,"  returned  his  young  commander,  bit- 
terly; "the  mischief  is  ready  done  to  his  hands!" 

"  Should  this  be  a  true  ship,  it  is  our  duty  to  the  owners 
and  the  passengers  to  speak  her,  if  a  man  can  make  his 
voice  heard  in  this  tempest,"  the  second  mate  continued, 
pointing,  through  the  haze,  at  the  dim  object  that  was  cer- 
tainly at  hand. 

"Speak  her! — passengers!"  muttered  Wilder,  involun- 
tarily repeating  his  words.  "No;  anything  is  better  than 
speaking  her.  Do  you  see  the  vessel  that  is  driving  down 
upon  us  so  fast?"  he  sternly  demanded  of  the  watchful  sea- 
man who  still  clung  to  the  wheel  of  the  Caroline. 

"Ay,  ay,  sir." 

"Give  her  a  berth— sheer  away  hard  to  port — perhaps  he 
may  pass  us  in  the  gloom,  now  we  are  no  higher  than  our 
decks.  Give  the  ship  a  broad  sheer,  I  say,  sir." 


THE    RED    ROVER.  255 

The  usual  laconic  answer  was  given;  and,  for  a  few  mo- 
ments, the  Bristol  trader  was  seen  diverging  a  little  from 
the  line  in  which  the  other  approached ;  but  a  second  glance 
assured  Wilder  that  the  attempt  was  useless.  The  strange 
ship  (every  man  on  board  felt  certain  it  was  the  same  that 
had  so  long  been  seen  hanging  in  the  northwestern  horizon) 
came  on  through  the  mist,  with  a  swiftness  that  nearly 
equalled  the  velocity  of  the  tempestuous  winds  themselves. 
Not  a  thread  of  canvas  was  seen  on  board  her.  Each  line 
of  spars,  even  to  the  tapering  and  delicate  top-gallant  masts, 
was  in  its  place,  preserving  the  beauty  and  symmetry  of  the 
whole  fabric;  but  nowhere  was  there  the  smallest  fragment 
of  a  sail  opened  to  the  gale.  Under  her  bows  rolled  a  vol- 
ume of  foam  that  was  even  discernible  amid  the  universal 
agitation  of  the  ocean;  and,  as  she  came  within  sound,  the 
sullen  roar  of  the  water  might  have  been  likened  to  the 
noise  of  a  cascade.  At  first,  the  spectators  on  the  decks  of 
the  Caroline  believed  they  were  not  seen,  and  some  of  the 
men  called  madly  for  lights,  in  order  that  the  disasters  of 
the  night  might  not  terminate  in  an  encounter. 

"Too  many  see  us  there  already!"  said  Wilder. 

"No,  no,"  muttered  Knighthead;  "no  fear  but  we  are 
seen ;  and  by  such  eyes,  too,  as  never  yet  looked  out  of  mor- 
tal head!" 

The  seamen  paused.  In  another  instant,  the  long-seen 
and  mysterious  ship  was  within  a  hundred  feet  of  them. 
The  very  power  of  that  wind,  which  was  wont  usually  to 
raise  the  billows,  now  pressed  the  element,  with  the  weight 
of  mountains,  into  its  bed.  The  sea  was  everywhere  a  sheet 
of  froth,  but  the  water  did  not  rise  above  the  level  of  the 
surface.  The  instant  a  wave  lifted  itself  from  the  security 
of  the  vast  depths,  the  fluid  was  borne  away  before  the  tor- 
nado in  glittering  spray.  Along  this  frothy  but  compara- 
tively motionless  surface,  then,  the  stranger  came  booming 
with  the  steadiness  and  grandeur  with  which  a  cloud  is  seen 
sailing  in  the  hurricane.  No  sign  of  life  was  discovered 


256  THE    RED    ROVER. 

about  her.  If  men  looked  out  from  their  secret  places,  *ipon 
the  straitened  and  d'scomfited  wreck  of  the  Bristol  trader,  it 
was  covertly,  and  as  darkly  as  the  tempest  before  which  they 
drove.  Wilder  held  his  breath,  for  the  moment  the  stranger 
was  nighest,  in  the  very  excess  of  suspense;  but  as  he  saw 
no  signal  of  recognition,  no  human  form,  nor  any  intention 
to  arrest,  if  possible,  the  furious  career  of  the  other,  a  smile 
gleamed  across  his  countenance,  and  his  lips  moved  rapidly, 
as  if  he  found  pleasure  in  being  abandoned  to  his  distress. 
The  stranger  drove  by,  like  a  dark  vision;  and,  ere  another 
minute,  her  form  was  beginning  to  grow  less  distinct,  in  the 
body  of  spray  to  leeward. 

"  She  is  going  out  of  sight  in  the  mist!"  exclaimed  Wild- 
er, when  he  drew  his  breath,  after  the  fearful  suspense  of 
the  few  last  moments. 

"Ay,  in  mist  or  clouds,"  responded  Knighthead,  who  now 
kept  obstinately  at  his  elbow,  watching,  with  the  most  jeal- 
ous distrust,  the  smallest  movement  of  his  unknown  com- 
mander. 

"  In  the  heavens,  or  in  the  sea,  I  care  not,  provided  he  be 
gone." 

"  Most  seamen  would  rejoice  to  see  a  strange  sail,  from 
the  hull  of  a  vessel  shaved  to  the  deck  like  this." 

"Men  often  court  their  destruction,  from  ignorance  of 
their  own  interests.  Let  him  drive  on,  say  I,  and  pray  I ! 
He  goes  four  feet  to  our  one ;  and  I  ask  no  better  favor  than 
that  this  hurricane  may  blow  until  the  sun  shall  rise." 

Knighthead  started,  and  cast  an  oblique-  glance,  which 
resembled  denunciation,  at  his  companion.  To  his  super- 
stitious mind,  there  was  profanity  in  thus  invoking  the  tem- 
pest, at  a  moment  when  the  winds  seemed  already  to  be 
pouring  out  their  utmost  wrath. 

"This  is  a  heavy  squall,  I  will  allow,"  he  said,  "and 
such  a  one  as  many  mariners  pass  whole  lives  without  see- 
ing; but  he  knows  little  of  the  sea  who  thinks  there  is  not 
more  wind  where  this  comes  from." 


THE    RED    ROVER.  2$7 

"Let  it  blow!"  cried  the  other,  striking  his  hands  to- 
gether a  little  wildly;  "I  pray  for  wind!" 

All  the  doubts  of  Knighthead,  as  to  the  character  of  the 
young  stranger  who  had  so  unaccountably  got  possession  of 
the  office  of  Nicholas  Nichols,  if  any  remained,  were  now 
removed.  He  walked  forward  among  the  silent  and  thought- 
ful crew,  with  the  air  of  a  man  whose  opinion  was  settled. 
Wilder,  however,  paid  no  attention  to  the  movements  of  his 
subordinate,  but  continued  pacing  the  deck  for  hours;  now 
casting  his  eyes  at  the  heavens,  and  now  sending  frequent 
and  anxious  glances  around  the  limited  horizon,  while  the 
Royal  Caroline  still  continued  drifting  before  the  wind,  a 
shorn  and  naked  wreck. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

Sit  still  and  hear  the  last  of  our  sea  sorrow. 

Shakspeare. 

THE  weight  of  the  tempest  had  been  felt  at  that  hap- 
less moment  when  Earing  and  his  unfortunate  companions 
were  precipitated  from  their  giddy  elevation  into  the  sea. 
Though  the  wind  continued  to  blow  long  after  this  fatal 
event,  it  was  with  a  constantly  diminishing  power.  As  the 
gale  decreased,  the  sea  began  to  rise,  and  the  vessel  to  labor 
in  proportion.  Then  followed  two  hours  of  anxious  watch- 
fulness on  the  part  of  Wilder,  during  which  the  whole  of  his 
professional  knowledge  was  needed,  in  order  to  keep  the 
despoiled  hull  from  becoming  a  prey  to  the  greedy  waters. 
His  consummate  skill,  however,  proved  equal  to  the  task 
that  was  required  at  his  hands;  and,  just  as  the  symptoms 
of  day  were  becoming  visible  along  the  east,  both  wind  and 
waves  were  rapidly  subsiding  together.  During  the  whole 
of  this  doubtful  period,  our  adventurer  did  not  receive  the 
smallest  assistance  from  any  of  the  crew,  with  the  exception 
of  two  experienced  seamen  whom  he  had  previously  stationed 
17 


258  THE    RED    ROVER. 

at  the  wheel.  But  to  this  neglect  he  was  indifferent;  since 
little  more  was  required  than  his  own  judgment,  seconded, 
as  it  faithfully  was,  by  the  exertions  of  the  mariners  more 
immediately  under  his  eye. 

The  day  dawned  on  a  scene  entirely  different  from  that 
which  had  marked  the  tempestuous  deformity  of  the  night. 
The  whole  fury  of  the  winds  appeared  to  have  been  expended 
in  their  precocious  effort.  From  the  moderate  gale,  to 
which  they  had  fallen  by  the  end  of  the  middle  watch,  they 
further  altered  to  a  vacillating  breeze ;  and,  ere  the  sun  rose, 
the  changeful  element  subsided  into  a  flat  calm.  The  sea 
went  down  as  suddenly  as  the  power  which  had  raised  it 
vanished;  and,  by  the  time  the  broad  golden  light  of  the 
sun  was  shed  fairly  and  fully  upon  the  unstable  ocean,  it 
lay  unruffled  and  polished,  though  still  gently  heaving  in 
swells  so  long  and  heavy  as  to  resemble  the  placid  respira- 
tion of  a  sleeping  infant. 

The  hour  was  still  early,  and  the  serene  appearance  of 
the  sky  gave  every  promise  of  a  day  which  might  be  passed 
in  devising  the  expedients  necessary  to  bring  the  ship  under 
the  command  of  her  people. 

"Sound  the  pumps!"  said  Wilder,  observing  that  the 
crew  were  appearing  from  the  different  places  in  which  they 
had  bestowed  their  cares  and  their  persons  together,  during 
the  later  hours  of  the  night. 

"  Do  you  hear  me,  sir?"  he  added,  sternly,  observing  that 
no  one  moved  to  obey  his  order.  "  Let  the  pumps  be 
sounded,  and  the  ship  cleared  of  every  inch  of  water." 

Knighthead,  to  whom  Wilder  addressed  himself,  regarded 
his  commander  with  an  oblique  and  sullen  eye,  exchanging 
intelligent  glances  with  his  comrade  before  he  saw  fit  to 
make  the  smallest  motion  toward  compliance.  But  there 
was  still  that  in  the  authoritative  mien  of  his  superior,  which 
induced  him  to  comply.  The  dilatory  manner  in  which  the 
seamen  performed  the  duty  was  quickened,  however,  as  the 
rod  ascended,  and  the  well-known  signs  of  a  formidable  leak 


THE   RED    ROVER.  259 

met  their  eyes.  The  experiment  was  repeated  with  greater 
activity,  and  with  more  precision. 

"  If  witchcraft  can  clear  the  hold  of  a  ship  that  is  already 
half  full  of  water,"  said  Knighthead,  casting  another  menac- 
ing glance  toward  the  attentive  Wilder,  "the  sooner  it  is 
done  the  better;  for  the  whole  cunning  of  something  more 
than  a  bungler  will  be  needed,  to  make  the  pumps  of  the 
'Royal  Caroline'  suck!" 

"Does  the  ship  leak?"  demanded  his  superior,  with  a 
quickness  which  proclaimed  how  important  the  intelligence 
was  deemed. 

"Yesterday,  I  would  have  boldly  put  my  name  to  the 
articles  of  any  craft  that  floats  the  ocean ;  and,  had  the  cap- 
tain asked  me  if  I  understood  her  nature  and  character,  as 
certain  as  that  my  name  is  Francis  Knighthead,  I  should 
have  told  him,  yes.  But  I  find  that  the  oldest  seaman  may 
still  learn  something  of  the  water ;  though  it  should  be  got 
in  crossing  a  ferry  in  a  flat." 

"What  mean  you,  sir?"  demanded  Wilder,  who,  for  the 
first  time,  began  to  note  the  mutinous  looks  assumed  by 
his  mate,  no  less  than  the  threatening  manner  in  which  he 
was  seconded  by  the  crew.  "  Have  the  pumps  rigged  with- 
out delay,  and  clear  the  ship  of  water." 

Knighthead  slowly  complied  with  the  former  part  of  this 
order;  and,  in  a  few  moments,  everything  was  arranged  to 
commence  the  necessary  and,  as  it  would  seem,  the  urgent 
duty  of  pumping.  But  no  man  lifted  his  hand  to  the  labori- 
ous employment.  Wilder,  who  had  taken  the  alarm,  was 
not  slow  in  detecting  this  reluctance,  and  he  repeated  the 
order  more  sternly,  calling  to  two  of  the  seamen,  by  name, 
to  set  the  example  of  obedience.  The  men  hesitated,  giving 
an  opportunity  to  the  mate  to  confirm  them  by  his  voice,  in 
their  mutinous  intentions. 

"  What  need  of  hands  to  work  a  pump  in  a  vessel  like 
this?"  he  said,  coarsely  laughing,  secret  terror  struggling 
strangely  at  the  same  time  with  open  malice.  "  After  what 


260  THE    RED    ROVER. 

we  have  seen  this  night,  none  here  will  be  amazed  should 
the  vessel  begin  to  spout  out  the  brine  like  a  whale." 

"  What  am  I  to  understand  by  this  hesitation  and  by  this 
language?"  said  Wilder,  approaching  Knighthead  with  a 
firm  step,  and  an  eye  that  threw  back  the  defiance  of  his 
inferior,  in  more  than  equal  measure.  "  Is  it  you,  who 
should  be  foremost  in  exertion  .at  a  moment  like  this,  who 
dare  to  set  an  example  of  disobedience?" 

The  mate  recoiled  a  pace,  and  his  lips  moved;  still  he 
uttered  no  audible  reply.  Wilder  ordered  him,  in  a  calm 
authoritative  tone,  to  lay  his  own  hands  to  the  brake. 
Knighthead  then  found  his  voice,  making  a  flat  refusal.  At 
the  next  moment,  he  was  felled  to  the  feet  of  his  indignant 
commander,  by  a  blow  he  had  neither  the  address  nor  the 
power  to  resist.  This  act  of  decision  was  succeeded  by  a 
single  moment  of  breathless  indecision  among  the  crew ;  and 
then  the  common  cry,  and  the  general  rush  upon  our  de- 
fenceless and  solitary  adventurer,  were  signals  for  open  hos- 
tility. A  shriek  from  the  quarter-deck  arrested  the  strug- 
gle, just  as  a  dozen  hands  were  laid  violently  upon  the  person 
of  Wilder,  and,  for  the  moment,  there  was  a  truce.  The 
cry  came  from  Gertrude,  and  happily  it  possessed  sufficient 
influence  to  check  the  savage  intentions  of  a  set  of  beings 
rude  and  unnurtured  enough  to  be  guilty  of  any  act  of  vio- 
lence when  their  passions  were  thoroughly  aroused.  Wilder 
was  reluctantly  released;  and  the  surly  mariners  turned 
towards  her  whose  interference  had  stopped,  if  it  had  not 
changed,  their  intentions. 

During  the  more  momentous  hours  of  the  night  that  was 
past,  the  very  existence  of  the  passengers  had  been  forgot- 
ten by  those  whose  duty  kept  them  on  deck.  If  they  had 
been  recalled  at  all  to  the  recollection  of  any,  it  was  at 
those  fleeting  moments  when  the  mind  of  the  young  seaman 
who  directed  the  movements  of  the  ship  found  leisure  to 
catch  stolen  glimpses  of  softer  scenes  than  the  wild  warring 
of  the  elements  that  was  raging  before  his  eyes.  Knight- 


THE   RED    ROVER.  26 1 

head  had  named  them,  as  he  would  have  made  allusion  to  a 
part  of  the  cargo,  but  their  fate  had  little  influence  on  his 
hardened  nature.  Mrs.  Wyllys  and  her  charge  had  there- 
fore remained  below  during  the  whole  period,  perfectly  un- 
apprised  of  the  disasters  of  the  intervening  time.  Buried 
in  the  recesses  of  their  berths,  they  had  heard  the  roaring  of 
the  winds,  and  the  incessant  washing  of  the  waters;  but 
these  usual  accompaniments  of  a  storm  served  to  conceal 
the  crashing  of  masts,  and  the  hoarse  cries  of  the  mariners. 
During  the  moments  of  terrible  suspense,  while  the  Bristol 
trader  lay  on  her  side,  the  better-informed  governess  had, 
indeed,  some  fearful  glimmerings  of  the  truth;  but,  con- 
scious of  her  uselessness,  and  unwilling  to  alarm  her  less 
instructed  companion,  she  had  sufficient  self-command  to  be 
mute.  The  subsequent  silence,  and  comparative  calm,  in- 
duced her  to  believe  that  she  had  been  mistaken  in  her  ap- 
prehensions; and,  long  ere  morning  dawned,  both  she  and 
Gertrude  had  sunk  into  refreshing  slumbers.  They  had 
risen  and  mounted  to  the  deck  together,  and  were  still  in 
the  first  burst  of  their  wonder  at  the  desolation  which  met 
their  eyes,  when  the  long-meditated  attack  on  Wilder  was 
made. 

"What  means  this  awful  change?"  demanded  Mrs.  Wyl- 
lys, with  a  lip  that  quivered,  and  a  cheek  which,  notwith- 
standing the  extraordinary  power  she  possessed  over  her 
feelings,  was  blanched  to  the  color  of  death. 

The  eye  of  Wilder  was  glowing,  and  his  brow  was  dark  as 
those  heavens  from  which  they  had  just  so  happily  escaped, 
as  he  answered,  still  menacing  his  assailants  with  an  arm : 

"It  means  mutiny,  madam — rascally,  cowardly  mutiny!" 

"  Could  mutiny  strip  a  vessel  of  her  masts,  and  leave  her 
a  helpless  log  upon  the  sea?" 

"Hark  ye,  madam!"  roughly  interrupted  the  mate;  "to 
you  I  will  speak  freely;  for  it  is  well  known  who  you  are, 
and  that  you  came  on  board  the  Caroline  a  paying  passen- 
ger. This  night  I  have  seen  the  heavens  and  the  ocean  be- 


262  THE    RED    ROVER. 

have  as  I  have  never  seen  them  behave  before.  Ships  have 
been  running  afore  the  wind,  light  and  buoyant  as  corks, 
with  all  their  spars  stepped  and  steady,  when  other  ships 
have  been  shaved  of  every  mast  as  the  razor  sweeps  the 
chin.  Cruisers  have  been  fallen  in  with,  sailing  with- 
out living  hands  to  work  them;  and,  altogether,  no  man 
here  has  ever  before  passed  a  middle  watch  like  the  one 
gone  by." 

"And  what  has  this  to  do  with  the  violence  I  have  just 
witnessed?  Is  the  vessel  fated  to  endure  every  evil? — Can 
you  explain  this,  Mr.  Wilder?" 

"  You  cannot  say,  at  least,  you  had  no  warning  of  dan- 
ger," returned  Wilder  bitterly. 

"  Ay,  the  devil  is  obliged  to  be  honest  on  compulsion," 
resumed  the  mate.  "'*  Each  of  his  imps  sails  with  his  or- 
ders; and,  thank  Heaven!  however  willing  he  maybe  to 
overlook  them,  he  has  neither  courage  nor  power  to  do  so. 
Otherwise,  a  peaceful  voyage  would  be  such  a  rarity  in 
these  unsettled  times,  that  few  men  would  be  found  hardy 
enough  to  venture  on  the  water  for  a  livelihood. — A  warn- 
ing! we  will  own  you  gave  us  open  and  frequent  warning. 
It  was  a  notice  that  the  consignee  should  not  have  over- 
looked, when  Nicholas  Nichols  met  with  the  hurt,  as  the 
anchor  was  leaving  the  bottom.  I  never  knew  an  accident 
happen  at  such  a  time,  and  no  evil  come  of  it.  Then  we 
had  a  warning  with  the  old  man  in  the  boat;  besides  the 
never-failing  ill-luck  of  sending  the  pilot  violently  out  of 
the  ship.  As  if  all  this  wasn't  enough,  instead  of  taking  a 
hint  and  lying  peaceably  at  our  anchors,  we  got  the  ship 
under  way,  and  left  a  safe  and  friendly  harbor  of  a  Friday, 
of  all  the  days  in  a  week !  *  So  far  from  being  surprised  at 

*  The  superstition,  that  Friday  is  an  evil  day,  was  not  peculiar  to  Knighthead:  it 
prevails,  more  or  less,  among  seamen,  to  this  hour.  An  intelligent  merchant  of  Con- 
necticut had  a  desire  to  do  his  part  in  eradicating  an  impression  that  is  sometimes  in- 
convenient. He  caused  the  keel  of  a  vessel  to  be  laid  on  a  Friday;  she  was  launched 
on  a  Friday  ;  named  "  The  Friday  ;  "  and  sailed  on  her  first  voyage  on  a  Friday.  Un 
fortunately  for  the  success  of  this  well-intentioned  experiment,  neither  vesse?  nor  crew 
were  ever  again  heard  of  \ 


THE   RED   ROVER.  263 

what  has  happened,  I  only  wonder  at  still  finding  myself  a 
living  man ;  the  reason  of  which  is  simply  this,  that  I  have 
given  my  faith  where  faith  is  due,  and  not  to  unknown  mari- 
ners and  strange  commanders.  Had  Edward  Earing  done 
the  same,  he  might  still  have  had  a  plank  between  him  and 
the  bottom;  but,  though  half  inclined  to  believe  in  the 
truth,  he  had,  after  all,  too  much  leaning  to  superstition  and 
credulity." 

This  labored  profession  of  faith  in  the  mate,  though  suffi- 
ciently intelligible  to  Wilder,  was  still  an  enigma  to  his 
female  listeners.  But  Knighthead  had  not  formed  his  resol- 
ution by  halves ;  neither  had  he  gone  thus  far,  with  any 
intention  to  stop  short  of  the  whole  design.  In  summary 
words  he  explained  to  Mrs.  Wyllys  the  desolate  condition 
of  the  ship,  and  the  utter  improbability  that  she  could  con- 
tinue to  float  many  hours ;  since  actual  observation  had  told 
him  that  her  lower  hold  was  already  half  full  of  water. 

"And  what  is  to  be  done?"  demanded  the  governess, 
casting  a  glance  of  bitter  distress  towards  the  pallid  and  at- 
tentive Gertrude.  "  Is  there  no  strange  sail  in  sight  to  take 
us  from  the  wreck?  or  must  we  perish  in  our  helplessness?" 

"God  protect  us  from  any  more  strange  sails!"  exclaimed 
the  surly  Knighthead.  "We  have  the  pinnace  hanging  at 
the  stern,  and  here  must  be  land  yet  some  forty  leagues  to 
the  northwest;  water  and  food  are  plenty,  and  twelve  stout 
hands  can  soon  pull  a  boat  to  the  continent  of  America: 
that  is,  provided  America  is  left  where  it  was  seen  no  later 
than  at  sunset  )'esterday." 

"You  propose  to  abandon  the  vessel?" 

"  I  do.  The  interest  of  the  owners  is  dear  to  all  good 
seamen,  but  life  is  sweeter  than  gold." 

"The  will  of  Heaven  be  done!  But  surely  you  meditate 
no  violence  against  this  gentleman,  who,  I  am  quite  certain, 
has  governed  the  vessel  in  very  critical  circumstances, 
with  a  discretion  beyond  his  years!" 

Knighthead  muttered  his  intentions,  whatever  they  might 


264  THE  'RED    ROVER. 

be,  to  himself;  and  he  walked  apart,  apparently  to  confer 
with  the  men,  who  seemed  but  too  well  disposed  to  second 
any  of  his  views,  however  mistaken  or  lawless.  During  the 
few  moments  of  suspense  that  succeeded,  Wilder  was  silent 
and  composed,  a  smile  resembling  that  of  contempt  strug- 
gling about  his  lip,  and  maintaining  the  air  rather  of  one 
who  had  power  to  decide  on  the  fortunes  of  others,  than  of 
a  man  who  knew  that  his  own  fate  was  at  that  very  moment 
in  discussion.  When  the  dull  minds  of  the  seamen  had  ar- 
rived at  their  conclusion,  the  mate  advanced  to  proclaim  the 
result.  Indeed,  words  were  unnecessary,  in  order  to  make 
known  a  very  material  part  of  their  decision ;  for  some  of 
the  men  proceeded  instantly  to  lower  the  stern-boat  into  the 
water,  while  others  set  about  supplying  it  with  the  necessary 
means  of  subsistence. 

/'There  is  room  for  all  the  Christians  in  the  ship  to  stow 
themselves  in  this  pinnace,"  resumed  Knighthead ;  "  as  for 
those  that  place  their  dependence  on  any  particular  persons, 
why,  let  them  call  for  aid  where  they  have  been  used  to  re- 
ceive it." 

"  From  all  which  I  am  to  infer  that  it  is  your  intention," 
said  Wilder,  calmly,  "to  abandon  the  wreck  and  your 
duty?" 

The  half-awed  but  still  resentful  mate  returned  a  look  in 
which  fear  and  triumph  struggled  for  the  mastery,  as  he  an- 
swered : 

"  You,  who  know  how  to  sail  a  ship  without  a  crew,  can 
never  want  a  boat!  Besides,  you  shall  never  say  to  your 
friends,  whoever  they  may  be,  that  we  leave  you  without  the 
means  of  reaching  the  land,  if  you  are  indeed  a  land-bird  at 
all.  There  is  the  launch!" 

"  There  is  the  launch !  but  well  do  you  know,  that,  with- 
out masts,  our  united  strengths  could  not  lift  it  from  the 
deck;  else  would  it  not  be  left." 

"They  that  took  the  masts  out  of  the  Caroline  can  put 
them  in  again,"  rejoined  a  grinning  seaman:  "it  will  not 


THE   RED    ROVER.  265 

be  an  hour  after  we  leave  you,  before  a  shear-hulk  will 
come  alongside  to  step  the  spars  again,  and  then  you  may 
go  cruise  in  company." 

Wilder  was  superior  to  a  reply.  He  began  to  pace  the 
deck,  thoughtful  it  is  true,  but  composed  and  entirely  self- 
possessed.  In  the  mean  time,  as  a  common  desire  to  quit 
the  wreck  as  soon  as  possible  actuated  the  men,  their  prep- 
arations advanced  with  great  activity.  The  wondering  and 
alarmed  females  had  hardly  time  to  think  clearly  on  the  ex- 
traordinary situation  in  which  they  found  themselves,  be- 
fore they  saw  the  form  of  the  helpless  master  borne  past 
them  to  the  boat;  in  another  minute  they  were  summoned  to 
take  their  places  at  his  side. 

Thus  called  upon  to  act,  they  began  to  feel  the  imperious 
necessity  of  decision.  Remonstrances  they  feared  would  be 
useless;  for  the  fierce  and  malignant  looks  which  were  cast, 
from  time  to  time,  at  Wilder  as  the  labor  proceeded,  pro- 
claimed the  danger  of  awakening  such  obstinate  and  igno- 
rant minds  into  renewed  acts  of  violence.  The  governess 
bethought  her  of  an  appeal  to  the  wounded  man;  but  the 
look  of  wild  care  which  he  has  cast  about  him,  on  being 
lifted  to  the  deck,  and  the  expression  of  bodily  and  mental 
pain  that  gleamed  across  his  rugged  features,  as  he  buried 
them  in  the  blankets  by  which  he  was  enveloped,  too  plainly 
announced  that  little  assistance  was  to  be  expected  from 
him. 

"What  remains  for  us  to  do?"  she  at  length  demanded  of 
the  seemingly  insensible  object  of  her  concern. 

"  I  would  I  knew  1"  he  answered  quickly,  casting  a  keen 
but  hurried  glance  around  the  whole  horizon.  "It  is  not  at 
all  improbable  that  they  will  reach  the  shore.  Four-and- 
twenty  hours  of  calm  will  assure  it." 

"If  otherwise?" 

"  A  blow  at  northwest,  or  from  any  quarter  off  the  land, 
will  prove  their  ruin." 

"And  the  ship?" 


266  THE   RED   ROVER. 

"  If  deserted,  she  must  sink." 

"Then  will  I  speak  in  your  favor  to  these  hearts  of  flint! 
I  know  not  why  I  feel  such  interest  in  your  welfare,  inex- 
plicable young  man,  but  I  would  suffer  much,  rather  than 
leave  you  to  incur  this  peril." 

"  Stop,  dearest  madam,"  said  Wilder,  respectfully  arrest- 
ing her  movement  with  his  hand.  "  I  cannot  leave  the  ves- 
sel." 

"  We  know  not  yet.  The  most  stubborn  natures  may  be 
subdued;  even  ignorance  can  be  made  to  open  its  ears  at 
the  voice  of  entreaty.  I  may  prevail." 

"There  is  one  temper  to  be  quelled — one  reason  to  con- 
vince— one  prejudice  to  conquer,  over  which  you  have  no 
power." 

"Whose  is  that?" 

"  My  own." 

"What  mean  you,  sir?  Surely  you  are  not  weak  enough 
to  suffer  resentment  against  such  beings  to  goad  you  to  an 
act  of  madness?" 

" Do  I  seem  mad?"  demanded  Wilder.  "The  feeling  by 
which  I  am  governed  may  be  false,  but,  such  as  it  is,  it  is 
grafted  on  my  habits,  my  opinions;  I  will  say,  my  princi- 
ples. Honor  forbids  me  to  quit  a  ship  that  I  command, 
while  a  plank  of  her  is  afloat." 

"Of  what  use  can  a  single  arm  prove  at  such  a  crisis?" 

"  None,"  he  answered,  with  a  melancholy  smile.  "  I  must 
die,  in  order  that  others,  who  may  be  serviceable  hereafter, 
should  do  their  duty." 

Both  Mrs.  Wyllys  and  Gertrude  regarded  his  kindling 
eye,  but  otherwise  placid  countenance,  with  looks  whose 
concern  amounted  to  horror.  The  former  read,  in  the  very 
composure  of  his  mien,  the  unalterable  character  of  his 
resolution ;  and  the  latter,  shuddering  as  the  prospect  of  the 
cruel  fate  which  awaited  him  crowded  on  her  mind,  felt  a 
glow  about  her  own  youthful  heart  that  almost  tempted  her 
to  believe  his  self-devotion  commendable.  But  the  gover- 


THE    RED    ROVER.  267 

ness  saw  new  reasons  for  apprehension  in  the  determination 
of  Wilder.  If  she  had  hitherto  felt  reluctance  to  trust  her- 
self and  her  ward  with  a  band  like  that  which  now  possessed 
the  sole  authority,  it  as  more  than  doubly  increased  by  the 
rude  and  noisy  summons  she  received  to  hasten  and  take 
her  place  among  them. 

"  Would  to  Heaven  I  knew  in  what  manner  to  decide !" 
she  exclaimed.  "  Speak  to  us,  young  man ;  counsel  us,  as 
you  would  counsel  a  mother  and  a  sister." 

"  Were  I  so  fortunate  as  to  possess  relatives  so  near  and 
dear,  nothing  should  separate  us  at  a  time  like  this." 

"  Is  there  hope  for  those  who  remain  on  the  wreck?" 

"  But  little." 

"And  in  the  boat?" 

It  was  near  a  minute  before  Wilder  made  an  answer. 
He  again  turned  his  eye  to  the  bright  and  broad  horizon, 
studying  the  heavens,  in  the  direction  of  the  distant  conti- 
nent, with  infinite  care.  No  omen  that  could  indicate  the 
probable  character  of  the  weather  escaped  his  vigilance, 
while  his  countenance  reflected  the  various  emotions  by 
which  he  was  governed. 

"  As  I  am  a  man,"  he  said  with  fervor,  "  and  one  who  is 
bound  not  only  to  counsel  but  to  protect  your  sex,  I  distrust 
the  time.  I  think  the  chance  of  being  seen  by  some  pass- 
ing sail  equal  to  the  probability  that  those  who  adventure 
in  the  pinnace  will  ever  reach  the  land." 

"  Then  let  us  remain,"  said  Gertrude,  the  blood,  for  the 
first  time  since  her  reappearance  on  deck,  rushing  in  a  tor- 
rent into  her  colorless  cheeks.  "  I  like  not  the  wretches 
who  would  be  our  companions  in  that  boat." 

*'  Away,  away!"  impatiently  shouted  Knighthead.  " Each 
minute  of  light  is  a  week  of  life  to  us  all,  and  every  moment 
of  calm,  a  year.  Away,  away,  or  we  leave  you !" 

Mrs.  Wyllys  answered  not,  but  she  stood  the  image  of 
doubt  and  indecision.  The  plash  of  oars  was  heard  in  the 
water,  and,  at  the  next  moment,  the  pinnace  was  seen  glid- 


268  THE    RED    ROVER. 

ing  over  the  element,  impelled  by  the  strong  arms  of  six 
powerful  rowers. 

"Stay!"  shrieked  the  governess,  no  longer  undetermined; 
"receive  my  child,  tho-  gh  you  abandon  me!" 

A  wave  of  the  hand,  and  an  indistinct  rumbling  in  the 
coarse  tones  of  the  mate,  were  the  answers  to  her  appeal. 
A  long,  deep,  and  breathing  silence  followed  among  the  de- 
serted. The  grim  countenances  of  the  seamen  in  the  pin- 
nace soon  became  confused  and  indistinct,  and  then  the 
boat  itself  began  to  lessen  on  the  eye,  until  it  seemed  no 
more  than  a  dark  and  distant  speck,  rising  and  falling  with 
the  flow  and  reflux  of  the  blue  waters.  During  all  this  time, 
not  even  a  whispered  word  was  spoken.  Each  of  the.  party 
gazed,  until  eyes  grew  dim,  at  the  receding  object;  and  it 
was  only  when  his  sight  refused  to  convey  the  tiny  image  to 
his  brain,  that  Wilder  himself  shook  off  the  impression  of 
the  trance  into  which  he  had  fallen.  His  look  then  turned 
on  his  companions,  and  he  pressed  his  hand  upon  his  fore- 
head, as  if  the  brain  were  bewildered  by  the  responsibility 
he  had  assumed  in  advising  them  to  remain.  But  the  sick- 
ening apprehension  passed  away,  leaving  in  its  place  a  firmer 
mind,  and  a  resolution,  too  often  tried  in  scenes  of  doubtful 
issue,  to  be  long  or  easily  shaken  from  its  calmness  and 
self-possession. 

"They  are  gone!"  he  said,  breathing  heavily,  like  one 
whose  respiration  had  been  long  and  unnaturally  suspended. 

"They  are  gone!"  echoed  the  governess,  turning  an  eye 
that  was  contracting  with  the  intensity  of  her  care,  on  the 
marble-like  and  motionless  form  of  her  pupil.  "  There  is 
no  longer  hope." 

The  look  that  Wilder  threw  on  the  same  silent  but  lovely 
statue  was  scarcely  less  expressive  than  the  gaze  of  her 
who  had  nurtured  her  infancy.  His  brow  grew  thoughtful, 
and  his  lips  became  compressed,  while  he  gathered  all  the 
resources  of  his  fertile  imagination  and  varied  experience. 

"Is   there   hope?"    demanded   the   governess,    who   was 


THE    RED    ROVER.  269 

'.vatching  the  change  of  his  working  countenance  with  an 
attention  that  never  swerved. 

The  gloom  passed  away  from  his  features,  and  the  smile 
that  lighted  them  was  like  the  radiance  of  the  sun,  as  it 
breaks  through  the  blackest  vapors  of  the  gust. 

"There  is!"  he  said  with  firmness;  "our  case  is  not  yet 
desperate." 

"  Then  may  He  who  rules  the  ocean  and  the  land  receive 
the  praise !"  cried  the  grateful  governess,  giving  vent  to  her 
long-suppressed  agony  in  a  flood  of  tears. 

Gertrude  cast  herself  upon  the  neck  of  Mrs.  Wyllys,  and 
for  a  minute  their  unrestrained  emotions  were  mingled. 

"And  now,  dearest  madam/'  said  Gertrude,  leaving  the 
arms  of  her  governess,  "  let  us  trust  to  the  skill  of  Mr. 
Wilder;  he  has  foreseen  and  foretold  this  danger;  equally 
well  may  he  predict  our  safety." 

"  Foreseen  and  foretold!"  returned  the  other,  in  a  manner 
to  show  that  her  faith  in  the  professional  prescience  of  the 
stranger  was  not  altogether  so  unbounded  as  that  of  her 
more  youthful  and  ardent  companion.  "  No  mortal  could 
have  foreseen  this  awful  calamity;  and,  least  of  all,  foresee- 
ing it,  would  he  have  sought  to  incur  its  danger!  Mr. 
Wilder,  I  will  not  annoy  you  with  requests  for  explanations 
that  might  now  be  useless,  but  you  will  not  refuse  to  com- 
municate your  grounds  of  hope." 

Wilder  hastened  to  relieve  a  curiosity  that  he  knew  must 
be  as  painful  as  it  was  natural.  The  mutineers  had  left  the 
largest,  and  much  the  safest,  of  the  two  boats  belonging  to 
the  wreck,  from  a  desire  to  improve  the  calm,  well  knowing 
that  hours  of  severe  labor  would  be  necessary  to  launch  it 
into  the  ocean  from  the  place  it  occupied  between  the  stumps 
of  the  two  principal  masts.  This  operation,  which  might 
have  been  executed  In  a  few  minutes  with  the  ordinary  pur- 
chases of  the  ship,  would  have  required  all  their  strength 
united,  and  that,  too,  to  be  exercised  with  a  discretion  and 
care  that  would  have  consumed  too  many  of  those  moments 


2/O  THE    RED    ROVER. 

which  they  rightly  deemed  to  be  so  precious  at  that  wild 
and  unstable  season  of  the  year.  Into  this  little  ark  Wilder 
proposed  to  convey  such  articles  of  comfort  and  necessity  as 
he  might  hastily  collect  from  the  abandoned  vessel;  and 
then,  entering  it  with  his  companions,  to  await  the  critical 
instant  when  the  wreck  should  sink  from  beneath  them. 

"Call  you  this  hope?"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Wyllys,  when  his 
short  explanation  was  ended,  her  cheek  blanching  with  dis- 
appointment. "  I  have  heard  that  the  gulf,  which  founder- 
ing vessels  leave,  swallows  all  lesser  objects  that  are  float- 
ing nigh!" 

"  It  sometimes  happens.  For  worlds  I  would  not  deceive 
you ;  and  I  now  say  that  I  think  our  chance  for  escape  equal 
to  that  of  being  ingulfed  with  the  vessel." 

"This  is  terrible!"  murmured  the  governess;  "but  the 
will  of  Heaven  be  done!  Cannot  ingenuity  supply  the 
place  of  strength,  and  the  boat  be  cast  from  the  decks  be- 
fore the  fatal  moment  shall  arrive?" 

Wilder  shook  his  head  in  the  negative. 

"  We  are  not  so  weak  as  you  may  think  us,"  said  Ger- 
trude. "  Give  a  direction  to  our  efforts,  and  let  us  see  what 
may  yet  be  done.  Here  is  Cassandra,"  she  added — turn- 
ing to  the  black  girl  already  introduced  to  the  reader,  who 
stood  behind  her  young  and  ardent  mistress  with  the  mantle 
and  shawls  of  the  latter  thrown  over  her  arm,  as  if  about  to 
attend  her  on  an  excursion  for  the  morning— "here  is 
Cassandra,  who  alone  has  nearly  the  strength  of  a  man." 

"  Had  she  the  strength  of  twenty,  I  should  despair  of 
launching  the  boat  without  the  aid  of  machinery.  But  we 
lose  time  in  words:  I  will  go  below  in  order  to  judge  of  the 
probable  duration  of  our  doubt;  and  then  to  our  prepara- 
tions. Even  you,  fair  and  fragile  as  you  seem,  lovely  being, 
may  aid  in  the  latter." 

He  then  pointed  out  such  lighter  objects  as  would  be  nec- 
essary to  their  comfort,  should  they  be  so  fortunate  as  to 
get  clear  of  the  wreck,  and  advised  their  being  put  into  the 


THE   RED    ROVER.  2/1 

boat  without  delay.  While  the  three  females  were  thus  use- 
fully employed,  he  descended  into  the  hold  of  the  ship,  in 
order  to  note  the  increase  of  the  water,  and  to  make  his  cal- 
culations on  the  time  that  would  elapse  before  the  sinking 
fabric  must  entirely  disappear.  The  fact  proved  their  case 
to  be  more  alarming  than  even  Wilder  had  been  led  to  ex- 
pect. Stripped  of  her  masts,  the  vessel  had  labored  so 
heavily  as  to  open  many  of  her  seams ;  and,  as  the  upper 
works  began  to  settle  beneath  the  level  of  the  ocean,  the  in- 
flux of  the  element  was  increasing  with  frightful  rapidity. 
As  the  young  mariner  looked  understandingly  about  him, 
he  cursed,  in  the  bitterness  of  his  heart,  the  ignorance  and 
superstition  that  had  caused  the  desertion  of  the  crew. 
There  existed,  in  reality,  no  evil  that  exertion  and  skill 
could  not  have  remedied;  but,  deprived  of  aid,  he  saw  the 
folly  of  even  attempting  to  procrastinate  a  catastrophe  that 
was  now  unavoidable.  Returning  with  a  heavy  heart  to  the 
deck,  he  immediately  set  about  those  dispositions  which 
were  necessary  to  afford  them  the  only  chance  of  escape/ 

While  his  companions  deadened  the  sense  of  apprehen- 
sion by  their  lighter  employment,  Wilder  stepped  the  two 
masts  of  the  boat,  and  disposed  of  the  sails  and  the  other 
implements  that  might  be  useful  in  the  event  of  success. 
Thus  occupied,  a  couple  of  hours  flew  by,  as  if  minutes  were 
compressed  into  moments.  At  the  expiration  of  that  period 
his  labor  ceased.  He  then  cut  the  gripes  that  had  kept  the 
launch  in  its  place  when  the  ship  was  in  motion,  leaving  it 
standing  upright  on  its  wooden  beds,  but  in  no  other  man- 
ner connected  with  the  hull,  which,  by  this  time,  had  settled 
so  low  as  to  create  the  apprehension  that,  at  any  moment, 
it  might  sink  from  beneath  them.  After  this  measure  of 
precaution  was  taken,  the  females  were  summoned  to  the 
boat,  lest  the  crisis  might  be  nearer  than  he  supposed;  for 
lie  well  knew  that  a  foundering  ship  was  like  a  tottering 
wall,  liable  at  any  moment  to  yield  to  the  impulse  of  the 
downward  pressure.  He  then  commenced  the  scarcely  less 


2/2  THE    RED    ROVER. 

necessary  operation  of  selection  among  the  chaos  of  articles 
with  which  the  ill-directed  zeal  of  his  companions  had  so 
cumbered  the  boat,  that  there  was  hardly  room  to  dispose  of 
their  more  precious  persons.  Notwithstanding  the  often  re- 
peated and  vociferous  remonstrances  of  the  negress,  boxes, 
trunks,  and  packages  flew  from  the  launch,  Wilder  having 
no  consideration  for  more  than  their  ultimate  safety.  The 
boat  was  soon  cleared  of  what,  under  their  circumstances, 
was  literally  lumber;  leaving,  however,  far  more  than 
enough  to  meet  all  their  wants,  and  not  a  few  of  their  com- 
forts, in  the  event  that  they  should  escape  the  greedy  ele- 
ment. 

Then,  and  not  till  then,  did  the  exertions  of  Wilder  relax. 
He  had  arranged  his  sails,  ready  to  be  hoisted  in  an  instant: 
he  had  carefully  examined  that  no  straggling  rope  connected 
the  boat  to  the  wreck,  to  draw  them  under  with  the  founder- 
ing mass;  and  he  had  assured  himself  that  food,  water, 
compass,  and  the  imperfect  instruments  that  were  then  in 
use  to  ascertain  the  position  of  a  ship  were  carefully  dis- 
posed of  in  their  several  places,  and  ready  to  his  hand. 
When  all  was  in  a  state  of  preparation,  he  disposed  of  him 
self  in  the  stern  of  the  boat,  and  endeavored,  by  the  compo- 
sure of  his  manner,  to  inspire  his  less  resolute  companions 
with  a  portion  of  his  own  firmness. 

The  bright  sunshine  was  sleeping  in  a  thousand  places 
on  every  side  of  the  silent  and  deserted  wreck.  The  sea 
had  subsided  to  such  a  state  of  rest,  that  it  was  only  at  long 
intervals  that  the  huge  and  helpless  mass  on  which  the  ark 
of  the  expectants  lay  was  lifted  from  its  dull  quietude,  to  roll 
heavily,  for  a  moment,  in  the  washing  waters,  and  then  to 
settle  lower  and  lower  into  the  absorbing  element.  Still  the 
disappearance  of  the  hull  was  slow — it  was  even  tedious  to 
those  who  looked  forward  with  so  much  impatience  to  its 
total  immersion,  as  to  the  crisis  of  their  own  fortunes. 

During  these  hours  of  weary  and  awful  suspense,  the  dis- 
course between  the  watchers,  though  conducted  in  tones  of 


THE    RED    ROVER.  2/3 

confidence,  and  often  of  tenderness,  was  broken  by  long  in- 
tervals of  musing  silence.  Each  forbode  to  dwell  upon  the 
danger  of  their  situation,  in  consideration  of  the  feelings  of 
the  rest;  but  neither  could  conceal  the  imminent  risk  they 
ran,  from  that  jealous  love  of  life  which  was  common  to 
them  all.  In  this  manner,  minutes,  hours,  and  the  day 
itself,  rolled  by,  and  the  darkness  was  seen  stealing  along 
the  deep,  gradually  narrowing  the  boundary  of  their  view 
toward  the  east,  until  the  whole  of  the  empty  scene  was  lim- 
ited to  a  little  dusky  circle  around  the  spot  on  which  they 
lay.  To  this  change  succeeded  another  fearful  hour,  during 
which  it  appeared  that  death  was  about  to  visit  them,  envi- 
roned by  its  most  revolting  horrors.  The  heavy  plunge  of 
the  wallowing  whale,  as  he  cast  his  huge  form  upon  the  sur- 
face of  the  sea,  was  heard,  accompanied  by  the  mimic  blow- 
ings of  a  hundred  imitators  that  followed  in  the  train  of  the 
monarch  of  the  ocean.  It  appeared  to  the  alarmed  and  fe- 
verish imagination  of  Gertrude,  that  the  brine  was  giving 
up  all  its  monsters;  and  notwithstanding  the  calm  assur- 
ances of  Wilder  that  these  accustomed  sounds  were  rather 
the  harbingers  of  peace  than  signs  of  any  new  danger,  they 
filled  her  mind  with  images  of  the  secret  recesses  over  which 
they  seemed  suspended  by  a  thread,  and  painted  them  re- 
plete with  the  disgusting  inhabitants  of  the  caverns  of  the 
deep.  The  intelligent  seaman  himself  was  startled,  when  he 
saw  on  the  surface  of  the  water  the  dark  fins  of  the  vora- 
cious shark  stealing  around  the  wreck,  apprised  by  his  in- 
stinct that  the  contents  of  the  devoted  vessel  were  shortly 
to  become  the  prey*  of  his  tribe.  Then  came  the  moon,  with 
its  mild  and  deceptive  light,  to  throw  the  delusion  of  its 
glow  on  the  varying  but  frightful  scene. 

"See,"  said  Wilder,  as  the  luminary  lifted  its  pale  and 
melancholy  orb  out  of  the  bed  of  the  ocean ;  "  we  shall  at 
least  have  light  for  our  hazardous  launch!" 

"Is  it  at  hand?"  demanded  Mrs.  Wyllys,  summoning  all 
the  resolution  she  could  in  so  trying  a  situation. 
18 


2/4  THE    RED    ROVER. 

"  It  is.  The  ship  has  already  brought  her  scuppers  to  the 
water.  Sometimes  a  vessel  will  float  until  saturated  with 
the  brine.  If  ours  sink  at  all,  it  will  be  soon." 

"  If  at  all !     Is  there  the  smallest  hope  that  she  can  float  ?" 

"None!"  said  Wilder,  pausing  to  listen  to  the  hollow 
sounds  which  issued  from  the  depths  of  the  vessel,  as  the 
water  broke  through  her  divisions,  in  passing  from  side  to 
side,  and  which  sounded  like  the  groaning  of  some  heavy 
monster  in  the  last  agony  of  nature.  "  None :  she  is  already 
losing  her  level !" 

His  companions  saw  the  change;  but  not  for  the  empire 
of  the  world  could  either  of  them  have  uttered  a  syllable. 
Another  low,  threatening,  rumbling  sound  was  heard,  and 
the  pent  air  beneath  blew  up  the  forward  part  of  the  deck, 
with  an  explosion  like  that  of  a  gun. 

"Now  grasp  the  ropes  I  have  given  you!"  cried  Wilder, 
breathless  with  his  eagerness  to  speak. 

His  words  were  smothered  by  the  rushing  and  gurgling 
of  waters.  The  vessel  made  a  plunge  like  a  dying  whale; 
and,  raising  its  stern  high  into  the  air,  it  glided  into  the 
depths  of  the  sea,  like  the  leviathan  seeking  his  secret 
places.  The  motionless  boat  was  lifted  with  the  ship,  until 
it  stood  in  an  attitude  fearfully  approaching  to  the  perpen- 
dicular. As  the  wreck  descended,  the  bows  of  the  launch 
met  the  element,  burying  themselves  nearly  to  rilling;  but, 
buoyant  and  light,  they  rose  again,  and,  struck  powerfully 
on  the  stern  by  the  settling  mass,  the  little  ark  shot  ahead, 
as  if  driven  by  the  hand  of  man.  Still,  as  the  water  rushed 
into  the  vortex,  everything  within  its  influence  yielded  to 
the  suction ;  and,  at  the  next  instant,  the  launch  was  seen 
darting  down  the  declivity,  as  if  eager  to  follow  the  vast 
machine  of  which  it  had  so  long  formed  a  dependent, 
through  the  same  gaping  whirlpool,  to  the  bottom:  but  it 
rose,  rocking,  to  the  surface,  and,  for  a  moment,  was  tossed 
and  whirled  like  a  bubble  in  the  eddies  of  a  pool  j  after 
which  the  ocean  moaned  and  slept  again, 


THE   REt>   ROVER. 


CHAPTER   XVIII. 

Every  day  some  sailor's  wife, 

The  masters  of  some  merchant,  and  the  merchant. 
Have  just  our  theme  of  woe. 

Tetnpest. 

"WE  are  safe!"  said  Wilder,  who  had  stood  with  his  person 
firmly  braced  against  a  mast,  steadily  watching  the  manner 
of  their  escape.  "Thus  far,  at  least,  are  we  safe;  for 
which  may  Heaven  alone  be  praised,  since  no  art  of  mine 
could  avail  us  a  feather." 

The  females  had  buried  their  faces  in  the  folds  of  the 
vestments  and  clothes  on  which  they  were  sitting;  nor  did 
even  the  governess  raise  her  countenance,  until  twice  as- 
sured by  her  companion  that  the  imminency  of  the  risk  was 
past.  Another  minute  went  by,  during  which  Mrs.  Wyllys 
and  Gertrude  were  rendering  their  thanksgivings,  in  a  man- 
ner and  in  words  less  equivocal  than  the  expression  which 
had  just  broken  from  the  lips  of  the  young  seaman.  When 
this  grateful  duty  was  performed,  they  stood  erect,  as  if  em- 
boldened by  the  offering  to  look  their  situation  more  stead- 
ily in  the  face. 

On  every  side  lay  the  seemingly  illimitable  waste  of  wa- 
ters. To  them,  their  small  and  frail  tenement  was  the  world. 
So  long  as  the  ship,  sinking  and  dangerous  as  she  was,  re- 
mained beneath  them,  there  had  appeared  to  be  a  barrier 
between  their  existence  and  the  ocean.  A  single  minute 
had  deprived  them  of  even  this  failing  support,  and  they 
now  found  themselves  cast  upon  the  sea  in  a  vessel  that 
might  be  likened  to  one  of  the  bubbles  of  the  element. 
Gertrude  felt,  at  that  instant,  that  she  would  have  given  half 
her  hopes  in  life  for  the  mere  sight  of  the  vast  and  nearly 
untenanted  continent  which  stretched  for  so  many  thousands 
of  miles  along  the  west,  and  kept  the  world  of  waters  to 
their  limits. 


2/6  THE    RED    ROVER. 

But  the  rush  of  emotions  that  belonged  to  their  forlorn 
condition  soon  subsided,  and  their  thoughts  returned  to  the 
study  of  the  means  necessary  to  further  safety.  Wilder  had 
anticipated  these  feelings;  and,  even  before  Mrs.  Wyllys 
and  Gertrude  recovered  their  recollections,  he  was  occupied, 
aided  by  the  terrified  but  loquacious  Cassandra,  in  arrang- 
ing the  contents  of  the  boat  in  such  a  manner  as  would  ena- 
ble her  to  move  through  the  element  with  the  least  possible 
resistance. 

"  With  a  well-trimmed  ship,  and  a  fair  breeze,"  cried  our 
adventurer  cheerfully,  so  soon  as  his  little  task  was  ended, 
"  we  may  yet  hope  to  reach  the  land  in  one  day  and  another 
night.  I  have  seen  the  hour  when,  in  this  good  launch,  I 
would  not  have  hesitated  to  run  the  length  of  the  American 
coast,  provided — 

"  You  have  forgotten  your  provided,"  said  Gertrude,  ob- 
serving that  he  hesitated,  probably  from  a  reluctance  to  ex- 
press any  exception  to  the  opinion  which  might  increase  the 
fears  of  his  companions. 

"  Provided  it  were  two  months  earlier  in  the  year,"  he 
added,  with  less  confidence. 

"The  season  is,  then,  against  us:  it  only  requires  the 
greater  resolution  in  ourselves!" 

Wilder  turned  his  head  to  regard  the  fair  speaker,  whose 
placid  countenance,  as  the  moon  silvered  her  features,  ex- 
pressed anything  but  the  force  necessary  to  endure  the  hard- 
ships he  knew  she  was  liable  to  encounter,  before  they  might 
hope  to  gain  the  continent.  After  musing,  he  lifted  his  open 
hand  toward  the  southwest,  and  held  its. palm  some  little 
time  to  the  air  of  the  night. 

"Anything  is  better  than  idleness  for  people  in  our  con- 
dition," he  said.  "  There  are  some  symptoms  of  the  breeze 
coming  in  this  quarter;  I  will  be  ready  to  meet  it." 

He  then  spread  his  two  lug-sails;  and,  trimming  aft  the 
sheets,  placed  himself  at  the  helm,  like  one  who  expected 
his  services  might  be  shortly  needed.  The  result  did  not 


THE    RED    ROVER. 

disappoint  him.  Ere  long,  the  light  canvas  of  the  boat  be- 
gan to  flutter;  and  then,  as  he  brought  the  bows  in  the  proper 
direction,  the  little  vessel  commenced  moving  slowly  along 
its  blind  and  watery  path. 

The  wind,  charged  with  the  dampness  of  night,  soon  came 
fresher  upon  the  sails.  Wilder  urged  the  latter  reason  as  a 
motive  for  the  females  to  seek  their  rest  beneath  a  little 
canopy  of  tarpaulings,  which  his  foresight  had  provided, 
and  on  mattresses  he  had  brought  from  the  ship.  Perceiv- 
ing that  their  protector  wished  to  be  alone,  Mrs.  Wyllys  and 
her  pupil  did  as  desired;  and,  in  a  few  minutes,  if  not 
asleep,  no  one  could  have  told  that  any  other  than  our  ad- 
venturer had  possession  of  the  solitary  launch. 

The  middle  hour  of  the  night  went  by,  without  any  mate- 
rial change  in  the  prospects  of  these  lonely  travellers.  The 
wind  had  freshened  to  a  smart  breeze;  and,  by  the  calcula- 
tions of  Wilder,  he  had  already  moved  across  several  leagues 
of  ocean,  directly  in  a  line  for  the  eastern  end  of  that  long 
and  narrow  isle  that  separates  the  waters  which  wash  the 
shores  of  Connecticut  from  those  of  the  open  sea.  The  min- 
utes flew  swiftly  by ;  for  the  time  was  propitious,  and  the 
thoughts  of  the  young  seaman  were  busy  with  the  recollec- 
tions of  a  short  but  adventurous  life.  He  leaned  forward  to 
catch  the  gentle  respiration  of  those  who  slept.  Then  his 
form  fell  back  into  its  seat,  and  his  lip  moved  as  he  gave 
inward  utterance  to  the  wayward  fancies  of  his  imagination. 
But  at  no  time,  not  even  in  the  midst  of  his  greatest  aban- 
donment to  reverie  and  thought,  did  he  forget  the  constant, 
and  nearly  instinctive,  duties  of  his  station.  A  rapid 
glance  at  the  heavens,  an  oblique  look  at  the  compass,  and 
an  occasional,  but  more  protracted,  examination  of  the  pale 
face  of  the  melancholy  moon,  were  the  usual  directions 
taken  by  his  practised  eyes.  The  latter  was  still  in  the  zen- 
ith, and  Wilder  saw  with  uneasiness  that  she  was  shining 
through  an  atmosphere  without  a  haze.  He  would  have  bet- 
ter liked  those  portentous  and  watery  circles  by  which  she 


278  THE    RED    ROVER. 

is  so  often  environed,  and  which  are  thought  to  foretell  the 
tempest,  than  the  hard  and  dry  medium  through  which  her 
beams  fell  so  clear  upon  the  face  of  the  waters.  The  hu- 
midity with  which  the  breeze  had  commenced  was  also 
gone ;  and,  in  its  place,  the  sensitive  organs  of  the  seaman 
detected  the  often  grateful,  though  at  that  moment  unwel- 
come, taint  of  the  land.  All  these  were  signs  that  the  airs 
from  the  continent  were  about  to  prevail,  and  (as  he  dreaded, 
from  certain  wild-looking,  long,  narrow  clouds,  that  were 
gathering  over  the  western  horizon)  to  prevail  with  the  force 
that  was  usual  at  that  turbulent  season. 

If  any  doubts  had  existed  in  the  mind  of  Wilder  as  to  the 
accuracy  of  his  prognostics,  they  would  have,  been  effec- 
tually solved  about  the  commencement  of  the  morning 
watch.  At  that  hour  the  inconstant  breeze  began  again  to 
die;  and,  even  before  its  last  breathing  was  felt  upon  the 
flapping  canvas,  it  was  met  by  counter  currents  from  the 
west.  Our  mariner  saw  at  once  that  the  struggle  was  now 
truly  to  commence,  and  he  made  his  dispositions  accord- 
ingly. The  square  sheets  of  duck,  which  had  so  long  been 
exposed  to  the  mild  airs  of  the  south,  were  reduced  to  one- 
third  their  original  size  by  double  reefs;  and  several  of  the 
more  cumbrous  of  the  remaining  articles,  such  as  were  of 
doubtful  use  to  persons  in  their  situation,  were  cast,  without 
pausing  to  hesitate,  into  the  sea.  Nor  was  this  care  without 
a  sufficient  object.  The  air  soon  came  sighing  heavily  over 
the  deep  from  the  northwest,  bringing  with  it  the  chilling 
asperity  of  the  inhospitable  regions  of  the  Canadas. 

"  Ah !  well  do  I  know  you,"  muttered  Wilder,  as  the  first 
puff  of  this  unwelcome  wind  struck  his  sails,  and  forced  the 
little  boat  to  bend  to  its  power  in  passing;  "well  do  I  know 
you,  with  your  fresh-water  flavor  and  your  smell  of  the  land! 
Would  to  God  you  had  blown  your  fill  upon  the  lakes,  with- 
out coming  down  to  drive  many  a  weary  seaman  back  upon 
his  wake,  and  to  eke  out  a  voyage,  already  too  long,  by  your 
bitter  colds  and  steady  obstinacy!" 


THE    RED    ROVER.  2/9 

"Do  you  speak?"  said  Gertrude,  half-appearing  from  be- 
neath her  canopy,  and  then  shrinking  back,  shivering,  into 
its  cover  again,  as  she  felt  the  influence  in  the  change  of 
air. 

"  Sleep,  lady,  t  sleep,"  he  answered,  for  he  liked  not,  at 
such  a  moment,  to  b'e  disturbed  by  even  her  gentle  voice. 

"Is  there  new  danger?"  she  asked,  stepping  lightly  from 
the  mattress,  unwilling  to  disturb  the  repose  of  her  gover- 
ness. "  You  need  not  fear  to  tell  me  the  worst:  I  am  a  sol- 
dier's child!" 

He  pointed  to  the  signs  so  well  comprehended  by  himself, 
but  continued  silent. 

"  I  feel  that  the  wind  is  colder  than  it  was,  but  I  see  no 
other  change." 

"And  do  you  know  whither  the  boat  is  going?" 

"  To  the  land,  I  think.  You  assured  us  of  that,  and  I  do 
not  believe  you  would  willingly  deceive." 

"You  do  me  justice;  as  a  proof  of  it,  I  will  now  tell  you 
that  you  are  mistaken.  I  know  that  to  your  eyes  all  points 
of  the  compass,  on  this  void,  must  seem  the  same ;  but  I 
cannot  so  easily  deceive  myself." 

"And  we  are  not  sailing  for  our  homes?" 

"So  far  from  it  that,  should  this  course  continue,  we  must- 
cross  the  whole  Atlantic  before  we  can  again  see  land." 

Gertrude  made  no  reply,  but  retired,  in  sorrow,  to  the  side 
of  her  governess.  In  the  mean  time,  Wilder,  left  to  himself, 
began  to  consult  his  compass  and  the  direction  of  the  wind. 
Perceiving  that  he  might  approach  nearer  to  the,  continent 
of  America  by  changing  the  position  of  the  boat,  he  wore 
round,  and  brought  its  head  as  nigh  up  to  the  southwest  as 
the  wind  would  permit. 

But  there  was  little  hope  in  this  trifling  change.  At  each 
minute  the  power  of  the  breeze  was  increasing,  until  it- 
freshened  to  a  degree  that  compelled  him  to  furl  his  after- 
sail.  The  slumbering  ocean  was  not  long  in  awakening; 
and,  by  the  time  the  launch  was  snug  under  a  close-reefed 


28O  THE    RED    ROVER. 

foresail,  the  boat  was  rising  on  the  growing  waves,  or  sink- 
ing into  the  momentary  calm  of  their  furrows.  The  dashing 
of  the  waters,  and  the  rushing  of  the  wind,  which  now  be- 
gan to  sweep  heavily  across  the  waste,  drew  the  females  to 
the  side  of  their  protector.  »  To  their  hurried  and  anxious 
questions  he  made  considerate  but  brief  replies,  answering 
like  a  man  who  felt  that  the  time  was  better  suited  to  action 
than  to  words. 

In  this  manner  the  lingering  minutes  of  the  night  went 
by,  loaded  with  a  care  that  each  moment  rendered  heavier, 
and  which  each  successive  freshening  of  the  breeze  had  a 
tendency  to  render  more  and  more  anxious.  The  day  came, 
only  to  give  more  distinctness  to  the  cheerless  prospect. 
The  waves  were  looking  green  and  angrily,  while,  here  and 
there,  large  crests  of  foam  were  beginning  to  break  on  their 
summits — the  certain  evidence  that  a  conflict  betwixt  the 
elements  was  at  hand.  Then  came  the  sun  over  the  ragged 
margin  of  the  eastern  horizon,  climbing  slowly  into  the  blue 
arch  above,  which  lay  clear,  chilling,  distinct,  and  without 
a  cloud. 

Wilder  noted  all  these  changes  with  a  closeness  that 
proved  how  critical  he  deemed  their  case.  He  seemed 
rather  to  consult  the  signs  of  the  heavens  than  to  regard  the 
tossings  and  rush  ings  of  the  water,  which  dashed  against  the 
side  of  his  little  vessel  in  a  manner  that  often  appeared  to 
threaten  their  total  destruction.  To  the  latter,  however,  he 
was  too  much  accustomed  to  anticipate  the  true  moment  of 
alarm,  though  to  the  less  instructed  senses  of  his  companions 
it  already  seemed  so  dangerous.  It  was  to  him  as  is  the 
thunder  when  compared  to  the  lightning,  in  the  mind  of  the 
philosopher;  or,  rather,  he  knew  that  if  harm  might  come 
from  the  one  on  which  he  floated,  its  ability  to  injure  must 
first  be  called  into  action  by  the  power  of  the  sister  ele- 
ment. 

"What  do  you  think  of  our  case  now?"  asked  Mrs.  Wyl- 
lys,  keeping  her  look  fastened  on  his  countenance,  as  if  she 


THE   RED    ROVER.  28 1 

would  rather  trust  to  its  expression,  than  even  to  his  words, 
for  the  answer. 

"  So  long  as  the  wind  continue  thus,  we  may  yet  hope  to 
keep  within  the  route  of  ships  to  and  from  the  great  north- 
ern ports;  but,  if  it  freshen  to  a  gale,  and  the  sea  begin 
to  break  with  violence,  I  doubt  the  ability  of  this  boat  to 
lie-to." 

"  Then  our  resource  must  be  in  endeavoring  to  run  before 
the  gale?" 

"  Then  we  must  scud." 

"What  would  be  our  direction,  in  such  an  event?"  de- 
manded Gertrude,  to  whose  mind,  in  the  agitation  of  the 
ocean,  and  the  naked  view  on  every  hand,  all  idea  of 
places  and  distances  was  lost  in  the  most  inextricable 
confusion. 

"  In  such  an  event,"  returned  our  adventurer,  regarding 
her  with  a  look  in  which  commiseration  and  indefinite  con- 
cern were  so  singularly  mingled  that  her  own  mild  gaze 
was  changed  into  a  timid  and  furtive  glance — "  in  such  an 
event  we  should  be  leaving  that  land  it  is  so  important  to 
reach." 

"  What  'em  'ere?"  cried  Cassandra,  whose  large  dark  eyes 
were  rolling  on  every  side  of  her,  with  a  curiosity  that  no 
care  or  sense  of  danger  could  extinguish ;  "  'em  berry  big 
fish  on  a  water?" 

"It  is  a  boat!"  cried  Wilder,  springing  upon  a  thwart,  to 
catch  a  glimpse  of  a  dark  object  that  was  driving  on  the 
glittering  crest  of  a  wave,  within  a  hundred  feet  of  the  spot 
where  the  launch  itself  was  struggling  through  the  brine. 
"  What,  ho!— boat,  ahoy !— holloa  there!— boat,  ahoy!" 

The  breathing  of  the  wind  swept  by  them,  but.no  human 
sound  answered  his  shout.  They  had  already  fallen  between 
two  seas,  into  a  deep  vale  of  water,  where  the  narrow  view 
extended  no  farther  than  the  rolling  barriers  on  each  side. 

"Merciful  Providence!"  exclaimed  the  governess,  " can 
there  be  others  as  unhappy  as  ourselves?" 


282  THE   RED    ROVER. 

"  It  was  a  boat,  or  my  sight  is  not  as  true  as  usual, "  re- 
turned Wilder,  still  keeping  his  stand,  to  watch  the  moment 
when  he  might  catch  another  view.  His  wish  was  quickly 
realized.  He  had  trusted  the  helm  to  the  hands  of  Cassan- 
dra, who  suffered  the  launch  to  vary  a  little  from  its  course. 
The  words  were  still  on  his  lips,  when  the  same  black  ob- 
ject came  sweeping  down  the  wave  to  windward,  and  a  pin- 
nace, bottom  upward,  washed  past  them  in  the  trough.  Then 
followed  a  shriek  from  the  negress,  who  abandoned  the  til- 
ler, and,  sinking  on  her  knees,  hid  her  face  in  her  hands. 
Wilder  instinctively  caught  the  helm,  bending  his  look  at 
the  same  time  in  the  direction  of  the  object  from  which  the 
eye  of  Cassandra  had  revolted.  A  human  form  was  seen, 
erect  and  half  exposed,  advancing  in  the  midst  of  the  broken 
crest  which  was  still  covering  the  dark  declivity  to  wind- 
ward with  foam.  For  a  moment  it  stood  with 'the  brine 
dripping  from  the  drenched  locks,  like  some  being  that  had 
issued  from  the  deep  to  turn  its  frightful  features  on  the 
spectators;  and  then  the  lifeless  body  of  a  drowned  man 
drove  past  the  launch. 

Not  only  Wilder,  but  Gertrude  and  Mrs.  Wyllys  had  seen 
this  startling  spectacle  so  nigh  them  as  to  recognize  the  grim 
countenance  of  Knighthead,  rendered  stern  and  forbidding 
by  death.  Neither  spoke  or  gave  any  other  evidence  of 
their  intelligence.  Wilder  hoped  that  his  companions  had 
at  least  escaped  the  shock  of  recognizing  the  victim;  and 
the  females  themselves  saw,  in  the  hapless  fortune  of  the 
mutineer,  too  much  of  their  own  probable  though  more  pro- 
tracted fate,  to  be  able  to  give  vent  to  the  horror  they  felt  in 
words.  For  some  time  the  elements  were  heard  sighing  a 
sort  of  hoarse  requiem  over  their  victims. 

"The  pinnace  has  filled!"  Wilder  at  length  ventured  to 
say,  when  he  saw  by  the  pallid  features  of  his  companions 
that  it  was  useless  to  affect  reserve  any  longer.  "  Their  boat 
was  frail,  and  loaded  to  the  water's  edge." 

"Think  you  all  are  lost?"  observed  Mrs.  Wyllys,  in  a 


THE    RED    ROVER.  283 

voice  that  scarcely  amounted  to  a  whisper.  "All!  not  even 
a  soul  escaped?" 

"There  is  no  hope  for  any!  Gladly  would  I  part  with 
an  arm  for  the  assistance  of  the  poorest  of  those  misguided 
seamen,  wh_  have  hurried  on  their  evil  fortune  by  their  own 
disobedience  and  ignorance." 

"  And  of  all  the  happy  and  thoughtless  human  beings  who 
so  lately  left  the  harbor  of  Newport,  we  alone  remain !" 

"  There  is  not  another:  this  boat,  and  its  contents,  are  the 
sole  memorials  of  the  Royal  Caroline!" 

"  It  was  not  within  the  ken  of  human  knowledge  to  fore- 
see this  evil?"  continued  the  governess,  fastening  her  eye  on 
the  countenance  of  Wilder,  as  if  she  would  ask  a  question 
which  conscience  told  her,  at  the  same  time,  betrayed  a  por- 
tion of  that  very  superstition  which  had  hastened  the  fate  of 
the  rude  being  they  had  so  lately  passed. 

"  It  was  not." 

"  And  the  danger  to  which  you  so  often  and  so  inexplica- 
bly alluded  had  no  reference, to  this  we  have  incurred?" 

"  It  had  not." 

"It  has  gone  with  the  change  in  our  situation?" 

"  I  hope  it  has." 

"  See !"  interrupted  Gertrude,  laying  a  hand,  in  her  haste, 
on  the  arm  of  Wilder.  "Heaven  be  praised!  yonder  is 
something  at  last  to  relieve  the  view." 

"It  is  a  ship!"  exclaimed  her  governess;  but,  an  envious 
wave  lifting  its  green  side  between  them  and  the  object, 
they  sank  into  a  trough,  as  if  the  vision  had  been  placed 
momentarily  before  their  eyes  merely  to  taunt  them  with 
its  image.  Wilder  had  caught,  however,  a  glimpse  of  the 
well-known  outlines  of  a  ship  against  the  heavens,  as  they 
descended.  When  the  boat  rose  again,  his  look  was  prop- 
erly directed,  and  he  was  enabled  to  be  certain  of  the  reality 
of  the  vessel.  Wave  succeeded  wave,  and  moments  fol- 
lowed moments,  during  which  the  stranger  as  often  appeared 
and  disappeared  as  the  launch  unavoidably  rose  and  fell 


284  THE    RED    ROVER. 

with  the  seas.  These  short  and  hasty  glimpses  sufficed, 
however,  to  convey  all  that  was  necessary  to  one  who  had 
been  nurtured  on  that  element  where  circumstances  now  ex- 
acted of  him  such  constant  and  unequivocal  evidence  of  his 
skill. 

At  the  distance  of  a  mile  there  was  a  ship  rolling  and 
pitching  gracefully,  and  without  any  apparent  shock,  on 
those  waves  through  which  the  launch  was  struggling  with 
so  much  difficulty.  A  solitary  sail  was  set  to  steady  the 
vessel,  and  that  so  reduced  by  reefs  as  to  look  like  a  little 
snowy  cloud  waving  in  the  air.  At  times  her  tapering 
masts  appeared  pointing  to  the  zenith,  or  rolling  as  if  in- 
clining against  the  wind;  and  then,  again,  with  slow  and 
graceful  sweeps,  they  seemed  to  fall  towards  the  ruffled  sur- 
face of  the  ocean,  as  if  to  seek  refuge  from  their  endless  mo- 
tion in  the  bosom  of  the  agitated  element  itself.  There 
were  moments  when  the  long,  low,  and  black  hull  was  seen 
distinctly  resting  on  the  summit  of  a  sea,  and  glittering  in 
the  sunbeams,  with  the  water  washing  from  her  sides;  and 
then,  as  boat  and  vessel  sank  together,  all  was  lost  to  the 
eye,  even  to  the  attenuated  lines  of  her  tallest  and  most  del- 
icate spars. 

Both  Mrs.  Wyllys  and  Gertrude  bowed  their  faces  to  their 
knees,  when  assured  of  the  truth  of  their  hopes,  and  poured 
out  their  gratitude  in  silent  and  secret  thanksgivings.  The 
joy  of  Cassandra  was  more  clamorous  and  less  restrained. 
The  simple  negress  laughed,  shed  tears,  and  exulted,  on  the 
prospect  that  was  now  offered  for  the  escape  of  her  young 
mistress  and  herself  from  a  d  ath  that  the  recent  sight  had 
set  before  her  imagination  in  the  most  frightful  form.  But 
no  answering  look  of  congratulation  was  to  be  traced  in  the 
anxious  eye  of  their  companion. 

"Now,"  said  Mrs.  Wyllys,  seizing  his  hand  in  both  her 
own,  "we  may  surely  hope  to  be  delivered;  and  then  will 
follow,  brave  and  excellent  young  man,  an  opportunity  of 
proving  how  highly  we  rate  your  services." 


THE    RED    ROVER.  285 

Wilder  permitted  this  burst  of  feeling,  but  he  neither 
spoke  nor  exhibited  himself  the  smallest  sympathy  in  her 
joy. 

"  Surely  you  are  not  grieved,  Mr.  Wilder,"  added  the  won- 
dering Gertrude,  "  that  the  prospect  of  escape  from  these 
awful  waves  is  at  length  so  mercifully  held  forth  to  us?" 

"  I  would  gladly  die  to  shelter  you  from  harm,"  returned 
the  young  sailor ;  "  but — 

"  This  is  not  a  time  for  anything  but  gratitude,"  inter- 
rupted the  governess  :  "  I  cannot  hearken  to  any  cold  excep- 
tions now;  what  means  that  'but'?" 

"  It  may  not  be  as  easy  as  you  think  to  reach  the  ship — 
the  gale  may  prevent — in  short,  many  is  the  vessel  that  is 
seen  at  sea  which  cannot  be  spoken." 

"  Happily,  such  is  not  our  cruel  fortune.  I  understand 
your  wish  to  dampen  hopes  that  may  possibly  be  thwarted; 
but  I  have  too  long  and  too  often  trusted  this  dangerous 
element  not  to  know  that  he  who  has  the  advantage  of  be- 
ing to  windward  can  speak,  or  not,  as  he  shall  please." 

"  You  are  right  in  saying  we  are  to  windward ;  and,  were 
I  in  a  ship,  nothing  would  be  easier  than  to  run  within  hail 
of  the  stranger.  That  ship  is  certainly  lying-to,  and  yet 
the  gale  is  not  fresh  enough  to  bring  so  stout  a  vessel  to  so 
short  canvas." 

"They  see  us,  then,  and  await  our  arrival?" 

"No,  no:  thank  God,  we  are  not  yet  seen!  This  little 
rag  of  ours  is  blended  with  the  spray.  They  take  it  for  a 
gull,  or  a  comb  of  the  sea,  for  the  moment  it  is  in  view." 

"And  do  you  thank  Heaven  for  this?"  exclaimed  Ger- 
trude, regarding  the  anxious  Wilder  with  a  wonder  that  her 
more  cautious  governess  had  the  power  to  restrain. 

"Did  I  thank  Heaven  for  not  being  seen?  I  may  have 
mistaken  the  object  of  my  thanks.  It  is  an  armed  ship!" 

"  Perhaps  a  cruiser  of  the  king's !  We  are  the  more  likely 
to  meet  with  a  welcome  reception.  Delay  not  to  hoist  some 
signal,  lest  they  increase  their  sail  and  leave  us," 


286  THE    RED    ROVER. 

"  You  forget  that  the  enemy  is  often  found  upon  our  coast. 
This  might  prove  a  Frenchman!" 

"  I  have  no  fears  of  a  generous  enemy.  Even  a  pirate 
would  give  shelter,  and  welcome,  to  females  in  our  dis- 
tress." 

A  profound  silence  succeeded.  Wilder  still  stood  upon 
the  thwart,  straining  his  eyes  to  read  each  sign  that  a  sea- 
man understands ;  nor  did  he  appear  to  find  much  pleasure 
in  the  task. 

"We  will  draw  ahead,"  he  said;  "and,  as  the  ship  is  ly- 
ing on  a  different  tack,  we  may  yet  gain  a  position  that  will 
leave  us  masters  of  our  movements." 

To  this  his  companions  knew  not  well  how  to  make  any 
objection.  Mrs.  Wyllys  was  so  much  struck  with  the  re- 
markable air  of  coldness  with  which  he  met  this  prospect  of 
refuge  against  the  forlorn  condition  in  which  he  had  just 
before  confessed  they  were  placed,  that  she  was  much  more 
disposed  to  ponder  on  the  cause  than  to  trouble  him  with 
questions  she  had  the  discernment  to  see  would  be  useless. 
Gertrude  wondered,  while  she  was  disposed  to  think  he 
might  be  right,  though  she  knew  not  why.  Cassandra  alone 
was  rebellious.  She  made  stout  objections  against  even  a 
moment's  delay,  assuring  the  inattentive  young  seaman 
that,  should  any  evil  come  to  her  young  mistress  by  his  ob- 
stinacy, General  Grayson  would  be  angered;  and  she  left 
him  to  reflect  on  the  results  of  a  displeasure  that  to  her 
simple  mind  teemed  with  more  danger  than  would  attend 
the  resentment  of  a  monarch.  Provoked  by  his  contuma- 
cious disregard  of  her  remonstrances,  the  negress,  forgetting 
her  respect,  and  blinded  by  her  fears  for  her  whom  she  not 
only  loved  but  had  been  taught  to  reverence,  seized  the 
boat-hook,  and,  unperceived  by  Wilder,  fastened  to  it  one 
of  the  linen  cloths  that  had  been  brought  from  the  wreck, 
exposing  the  fluttering  drapery  above  the  diminished  sail 
ere  her  device  caught  the  attention  of  her  companions. 
Then?  indeed,  she  lowered  the  signal,  before  the  dark  look 


THE    RED    ROVER.  287 

of  Wilder.  Short  as  was  the  triumph  of  the  negress,  it  was 
crowned  with  success. 

The  restrained  silence  which  is  so  apt  to  succeed  a  sud- 
den burst  of  displeasure  was  still  reigning  in  the  boat,  when 
a  cloud  of  smoke  broke  out  of  the  side  of  the  ship,  the  dead- 
ened roar  of  artillery  struggling  heavily  up  against  the 
wind,  immediately  after. 

"It  is  now  too  late  to  hesitate,"  said  Mrs.  Wyllys;  "we 
are  seen,  let  the  stranger  be  friend  or  enemy." 

Wilder  did  not  answer,  but  continued  to  watch  the  move- 
ments of  the  stranger.  In  another  moment  the  spars  were 
seen  receding  from  the  breeze,  and  in  a  couple  of  minutes 
more  the  head  of  the  ship  was  changed  in  the  direction  in 
which  they  lay.  Four  or  five  broader  sheets  of  canvas  ap- 
peared in  different  parts  of  the  complicated  machinery,  while 
the  vessel  inclined  to  the  breeze.  As  she  mounted  on  the 
seas,  her  bows  seemed  issuing  from  the  element  altogether 
and  high  jets  of  glittering  spray  were  cast  into  the  air,  fall- 
ing in  gems  upon  the  sails  and  rigging. 

"  It  is  now  too  late,  indeed,"  murmured  our  adventurer, 
bearing  up  the  helm  of  his  own  little  craft,  and  letting  its 
sheet  slip  through  his  hands,  until  the  sail  was  bagging  with 
the  breeze  nearly  to  bursting.  The  boat  which  had  so  long 
been  laboring  through  the  water,  with  a  wish  to  cling  as 
nigh  as  possible  to  the  continent,  flew  over  the  seas,  leaving 
a  long  trail  of  foam  behind ;  and,  before  either  of  the  fe- 
males had  regained  their  entire  self-possession,  she  was 
floating  in  the  comparative  calm  that  the  hull  of  a  large  ves- 
sel never  fails  to  create.  A  light  form  stood  in  the  rigging 
of  the  ship,  issuing  the  necessary  orders  for  her  manoeuvres ; 
and,  in  the  midst  of  the  confusion  and  alarm  that  such  a 
scene  was  likely  to  cause  in  the  bosom  of  woman,  Gertrude 
and  Mrs.  Wyllys,  with  their  two  companions,  were  trans- 
ferred in  safety  to  the  decks  of  the  stranger.  The  moment 
they  and  their  effects  were  secured,  the  launch  was  cut 
adrift,  like  useless  lumber.  Twenty  mariners  were  then 


288  THE    RED    ROVER. 

seen  climbing  among  the  ropes;  and  sail  after  sail  was 
opened  still  wider,  until,  bearing  the  vast  folds  of  all  her 
canvas  spread,  the  vessel  was  urged  along  her  trackless 
course,  like  a  swift  cloud  drifting  through  the  thin  medium 
of  the  upper  air. 


CHAPTER    XIX. 

Now  let  it  work :  Mischief,  thou  art  afoot. 
Take  then  what  course  thou  wilt ! 

Shakspeare. 

WHEN  the  velocity  with  which  the  vessel  flew  before  the 
wind  is  properly  considered,  the  reader  will  not  be  surprised 
to  learn  that,  at  the  end  of  a  week  from  the  time  when  the 
foregoing  incidents  close,  we  are  enabled  to  open  the  scene 
of  the  present  chapter  in  a  very  different  quarter  of  the  same 
sea.  It  is  unnecessary  to  follow  the  Rover  in  the  windings 
of  his  devious  and  uncertain  course,  during  which  his  keel 
furrowed  more  than  a  thousand  miles  of  ocean,  eluding  more 
than  one  cruiser  of  the  king,  and  avoiding  sundry  less  dan- 
gerous rencounters,  as  much  from  inclination  as  any  other 
visible  cause.  It  is  sufficient  for  our  purpose  to  lift  the  cur- 
tain which  must  conceal  her  movements  during  this  week, 
when  the  gallant  vessel  is  in  a  milder  climate,  and,  the  sea- 
son of  the  year  considered,  in  a  more  propitious  sea. 

Exactly  seven  days  after  Gertrude  and  her  governess  be- 
came the  inmates  of  a  ship,  whose  character  it  is  no  longer 
necessary  to  conceal  from  the  reader,  though  it  remained  a 
secret  from  the  females,  the  sun  rose  upon  her  flapping  sails, 
.symmetrical  spars,  and  dark  hull,  within  sight  of  a  few  low, 
small,  and  rocky  islands.  The  color  of  the  element  would 
have  told  a  seaman,  had  no  mound  of  blue  land  been  seen 
in  the  west,  that  the  bottom  of  the  sea  was  heaving  up  nearer 
to  its  surface,  and  that  it  was  necessary  to  guard  against  the 
known  and  dreaded  dangers  of  a  coast.  Wind  there  was 
none;  for  the  vacillating  and  uncertain  air  which  from  time 


THE    RED    ROVER.  289 

to  time  distended  the  lighter  canvas  of  the  vessel  was  the 
breathing  of  a  morning  that  was  breaking  upon  the  main, 
so  soft,  mild,  and  bland  as  to  impart  to  the  sleeping  ocean 
the  appearance  of  a  placid  lake. 

Everything  having  life  in  the  ship  was  up  and  stirring. 
Fifty  stout  and  healthy-looking  seamen  were  hanging  in 
different  parts  of  her  rigging,  some  laughing  and  holding 
low  converse  with  messmates  who  lay  indolently  on  the 
neighboring  spars,  and  others  leisurely  performing  the  light 
duty  that  was  the  ostensible  employment  of  the  moment. 
More  than  as  many  others  loitered  carelessly  about  the 
decks  below,  somewhat  similarly  engaged;  the  whole  having 
the  appearance  of  men  who  were  set  to  perform  their  trivial 
tasks  more  to  escape  the  imputation  of  idleness  than  from 
any  actual  necessity  of  their  being  executed.  The  quarter- 
deck, the  hallowed  spot  of  every  vessel  that  pretends  to  dis- 
cipline, was  occupied  by  a  set  of  seamen  who  could  not  lay 
much  greater  claim  to  activity.  In  short,  the  vessel  partook 
of  the  character  of  the  ocean  and  of  the  weather,  both  of 
which  seemed  to  be  reserving  their  powers  to  some  occasion 
more  suitable  for  their  display. 

Three  or  four  young  (and,  considering  the  nature  of  their 
service,  far  from  unpleasant-looking)  men  appeared  in  a 
sort  of  undress  nautical  uniform,  in  which  the  fashion  of  no 
people  in  particular  was  very  studiously  consulted.  Not- 
withstanding the  calm  that  reigned  on  all  around  them,  each 
of  them  wore  a  short  straight  dirk  at  his  girdle;  and,  as  one 
of  them  bent  over  the  side  of  the  vessel,  the  handle  of  a  lit- 
tle pistol  was  discovered  through  an  opening  in  the  folds  of 
his  professional  frock.  There  were,  however,  no  other  im- 
mediate signs  of  distrust,  by  which  an  observer  might  infer 
that  this  armed  precaution  was  more  than  the  usual  custom 
of  the  ship.  A  couple  of  grim  and  callous-looking  senti- 
nels, attired  and  accoutred  like  soldiers  of  the  land,  con- 
trary to  marine  usage,  were  posted  on  the  line  which  sepa- 
rated the  place  sacred  to  uses  of  the  officers  from  the  for- 
19 


THE    RED    KOVER. 

ward  part  of  the  deck,  bespeaking  additional  caution.  Still, 
these  arrangements  were  regarded  by  the  seamen  with  incu- 
rious eyes — a  proof  that  use  had  rendered  them  familiar. 

The  individual  who  has  been  introduced  to  the  reader 
under  the  high-sounding  title  of  General  stood,  upright  and 
rigid  as  one  of  the  masts  of  the  ship,  studying  with  a  criti- 
cal eye  the  equipments  of  his  two  mercenaries,  and  appar- 
ently as  regardless  of  what  was  passing  around  him,  as,  if 
he  literally  considered  himself  a  fixture.  One  form,  how- 
ever, was  to  be  distinguished  from  all  around  it,  by  the  air 
of  authority  that  breathed  even  in  its  repose.  It  was  the 
Rover.  He  stood  alone,  none  presuming  to  approach  the 
spot  where  he  had  chosen  to  plant  his  person.  There  was  a 
constant  expression  of  investigation  in  his  wandering  eye, 
as  it  roved  from  object  to  object  in  the  equipment  of  the 
vessel;  and  at  moments,  as  his  eye  examined  the  blue 
vacuum  above  him,  the  cloud  that  denotes  a  seaman's  re- 
sponsibility gathered  about  his  brow.  This  lowering  look 
became  so  marked,  at  times,  that  the  fair  hair  which  broke 
out  in  ringlets  from  beneath  a  black  velvet  sea-cap,  from 
whose  top  depended  a  tassel  of  gold,  could  no  longer  impart 
to  his  countenance  the  gentleness  which  formed  its  natural 
expression  in  moments  of  quiet.  Disdaining  concealment, 
and  as  if  he  wished  to  announce  the  nature  of  the  power  he 
wielded,  he  wore  his  pistols  openly  in  a  leathern  belt  through 
which  he  had  thrust,  with  the  same  disregard  of  conceal- 
ment, a  light  and  curved  yataghan,  which,  by  the  chasings  of 
its  handle,  had  probably  come  from  the  manufactory  of  an 
eastern  artisan. 

On  the  deck  of  the  poop,  overlooking  the  rest,  and  retired 
from  the  crowd  beneath,  stood  Mrs.  Wyllys  and  her  charge, 
neither  of  whom  announced,  in  the  slightest  degree,  by  eye 
or  air,  that  anxiety  which  might  be  supposed  natural  to  fe- 
males who  found  themselves  in  a  condition  so  critical  as 
that  in  which  they  were.  On  the  contrary,  while  the  former 
pointed  out  to  the  latter  the;  hillock  of  pale  blue  which  rose 


THE   RED   ROVER.  29! 

from  the  water,  like  a  dark  and  strongly  defined  cloud  in 
the  distance,  hope  was  strongly  blended  with  the  ordinary 
expression  of  her  features.  She  also  called  to  Wilder,  in  a 
cheerful  voice ;  and  the  youth,  who  had  long  been  standing, 
with  a  sort  of  jealous  watchfulness,  at  the  foot  of  the  ladder 
which  led  from  the  quarter-deck,  was  at  her  side  in  an 
instant. 

"I  am  telling  Gertrude,"  said  the  governess,  "that  yon- 
der is  her  home;  that  when  the  breeze  shall  be  felt,  we  may 
speedily  hope  to  reach  it;  but  the  wilfully  timid  girl  insists 
that  she  cannot  believe  her  senses,  after  the  frightful  risks 
we  have  run,  until,  at  least,  she  shall  see  the  dwelling  of 
her  childhood  and  the  face  of  her  father.  You  have  often 
been  on  this  coast  before,  Mr.  Wilder?" 

"  Often,  madam." 

"  Then,  you  can  tell  us  the  name  of  the  distant  land  we 
see?" 

"  Land!"  repeated  our  adventurer,  affecting  a  look  of  sur- 
prise; "  is  there  land  in  view?" 

"  Is  there  land  in  view !  Have  not  hours  gone  by  since 
it  was  proclaimed  from  the  masts?" 

"  It  may  be  so.  We  seamen  are  dull  after  a  night  of 
watching,  and  we  often  hear  but  little  of  what  passes." 

A  suspicious  glance  was  shot  from  the  eye  of  the  gover- 
ness, as  if  she  apprehended  she  knew  not  what. 

"  Has  the  sight  of  the  cheerful,  blessed  soil  of  America 
so  soon  lost  its  charm  in  your  eye  that  you  approach  it  with 
so  heedless  an  air?  The  infatuation  of  men  of  your  profes- 
sion, in  favor  of  so  dangerous  and  so  treacherous  an  ele- 
ment, is  an  enigma  I  never  could  explain." 

"Do  seamen,  then,  really  love  their  calling  with  so  de- 
voted an  affection?"  innocently  demanded  Gertrude. 

"  It  is  a  folly  of  which  we  are  at  least  accused,"  rejoined 
Wilder,  turning  his  eye  on  the  speaker  and  smiling  in  a 
manner  that  had  lost  every  shade  of  reserve. 

"And  justly?" 


THE    RED    ROVER. 

"  I  fear,  justly." 

"Too  justly!"  said  Mrs.  Wyllys,  with  emphasis;  "better 
than  their  quiet  and  peaceful  homes!" 

Gertrude  pursued  the  idea  no  further;  her  eye  fell  to  the  ' 
deck,  as  if  she  reflected  on  a  perversity  of  taste  which  could 
render  man  so  insensible  to  domestic  pleasures,  and  incline 
him  to  court  the  dangers  of  which  she  had  been  a  witness. 

"  I,  at  least,  am  free  from  the  latter  charge,"  exclaimed 
Wilder.  "  A  ship  has  always  been  my  home." 

"  Much  of  my  life,  too,  has  been  wasted  in  one,"  contin- 
ued the  governess,  who  was  pursuing,  in  her  own  mind, 
some  images  of  a  time  long  past.  "  Happy  and  miserable, 
alike,  have  been  the  hours  that  I  have  passed  upon  the  sea ! 
Nor  is  this  the  first  king's  ship  in  which  it  has  been  my  for- 
tune to  be  thrown.  And  yet  the  customs  seem  changed 
since  the  days  I  mean ;  or  else  my  memory  is  beginning  to 
lose  some  of  the  impressions  of  an  age  when  memory  is  apt 
to  be  most  tenacious.  Is  it  usual,  for  instance,  Mr.  Wilder, 
to  admit  an  utter  stranger,  like  yourself,  to  exercise  author- 
ity in  a  vessel  pf  war?" 

"  Certainly  not." 

"And  yet  you  have  been  acting,  as  far  as  my  recollec- 
tions are  true,  as  second  here,  since  the  moment  we  entered 
this  vessel,  wrecked  and  helpless  fugitives  from  the  waves." 

Our  adventurer  again  averted  his  eye,  and  evidently 
searched  for  words,  ere  he  replied: 

"  A  commission  is  always  respected.  Mine  procured  for 
me  the  consideration  you  have  witnessed." 

"You  are  then  an  officer  of  the  crown?" 

"  Would  any  other  authority  be  respected  in  a  vessel  of 
the  crown?  Death  had  left  a  vacancy  in  the  second  station 
of  this — cruiser.  Fortunately  for  the  wants  of  the  service, 
perhaps  for  myself,  I  was  at  hand  to  fill  it." 

"  But,  tell  me  farther,"  continued  the  governess,  who  ap- 
peared disposed  to  profit  by  the  occasion  to  solve  more 
doubts  than  one,  "  is  it  usual  for  the  officers  of  a  vessel  of 


THE    RED    ROVER.  293 

war  to  appear  armed  among  their  crew,  in  the  manner  I  see 
here?" 

"  It  is  the  pleasure  of  our  commander." 

"That  commander  is  evidently  a  skilful  seaman;  but  his 
caprices  and  tastes  are  as  extraordinary  as  his  men.  I  have 
surely  seen  him  before;  and,  it  would  seem,  but  lately." 

Mrs.  Wyllys  was  silent  for  several  minutes.  During  the 
whole  time,  her  eye  was  never  averted  from  the  form  of  the 
calm  and  motionless  being  who  still  maintained  his  attitude 
of  repose,  aloof  from  all  that  throng  whom  he  had  the  ad- 
dress to  render  so  entirely  dependent  on  his  authority.  The 
governess  studied  the  smallest  peculiarity  of  his  person,  as 
if  she  would  never  tire  of  her  gaze.  Drawing  a  heavy  and 
relieving  breath,  she  remembered,  however,  that  she  was  not 
alone,  and  that  others  were  silently  awaiting  the  process  of 
her  thoughts.  Without  manifesting  embarrassment  at  an 
absence  of  mind  that  was  far  too  common  to  surprise  her 
pupil,  she  resumed  the  discourse  where  she  had  herself 
dropped  it,  turning  again  toward  Wilder. 

"Is  Captain  Heidegger  an  old  acquaintance?"  she  de- 
manded. 

"  We  have  met  before." 

"  It  should  be  a  name  of  German  origin  by  the  sound.  I 
am  certain  it  is  new  to  me.  And  yet  there  was  a  time  when 
few  officers  of  his  rank  were  unknown  to  me,  at  least  by 
name.  Is  his  family  of  long  standing  in  England?" 

"  That  is  a  question  he  may  better  answer  himself,"  said 
Wilder,  glad  to  perceive  that  the  subject  of  their  discourse 
was  approaching.  "  For  the  moment,  madam,  my  duty  calls 
me  elsewhere." 

Wilder  withdrew  with  reluctance;  and,  had  suspicion 
been  active  in  the  breasts  of  either  of  his  companions,  they 
would  not-  have  failed  to  note  the  glance  of  distrust  witn 
which  he  watched  the  manner  of  his  commander  in  making 
his  salutations.  There  was  nothing,  however,  in  the  air  ot 
the  Rover  that  should  have  given  ground  to  so  much  jealous 


294  THE  RED  ROVER« 

vigilance.  On  the  contrary,  he  was  cold  and  abstracted, 
appearing  to  mingle  in  their  discourse  more  from  a  sense 
of  the  obligations  of  hospitality  than  from  any  satisfaction 
that  he  might  derive  from  the  intercourse.  Still,  his  de- 
portment was  kind,  and  his  voice  bland  as  the  airs  that 
were  wafted  from  the  healthful  islands  in  view. 

"There  is  a  sight,"  he  said,  pointing  towards  the  low  blue 
ridges  of  the  land,  "  that  forms  the  landsman's  delight  and 
the  seaman's  terror." 

"  Are  seamen  so  averse  to  the  view  of  regions  where  so 
many  millions  of  their  fellow-creatures  find  pleasure  in 
dwelling?"  demanded  Gertrude  (to  whom  he  more  particu- 
larly addressed  his  words),  with  a  frankness  that  would,  in 
itself,  have  sufficiently  proved  no  glimmerings  of  his  real 
character  had  ever  dawned  on  her  spotless  and  unsuspicious 
mind. 

"  Miss  Grayson  included,"  he  returned,  with  a  slight  bow, 
and  a  smile,  in  which,  perhaps,  irony  was  concealed  by 
playfulness.  "After  the  risk  you  have  run,  even  I,  con- 
firmed and  obstinate  sea-monster  as  I  am,  have  no  reason 
to  complain  of  your  distaste  for  our  element.  And  yet,  you 
see,  it  is  not  entirely  without  its  charms.  No  lake,  that  lies 
within  the  limits  of  yonder  continent,  can  be  more  calm  and 
sweet  than  this  bit  of  ocean.  Were  we  a  few  degrees  more 
southward,  I  would  show  you  landscapes  of  rock  and  moun- 
tain— of  bays,  and  of  hillsides  sprinkled  with  verdure — of 
tumbling  whales,  and  lazy  fishermen,  and  distant  cottages, 
and  lagging  sails— that  would  make  a  figure  even  in  pages 
that  the  bright  eye  of  a  lady  might  love  to  read." 

"  And  yet  for  most  "of  your  picture  would  you  be  indebted 
to  the  land.  In  return  for  this  sketch,  I  would  take  you 
north,  and  show  you  black  and  threatening  clouds — a  green 
and  angry  sea— shipwrecks  and  shoals— cottages,  hillsides, 
and  mountains,  in  the  imagination  only  of  the  drowning 
man — and  sails  bleached  by  waters  that  contain  the  vora- 
cious shark  or  the  disgusting  polypus." 


THE   RED    ROVER. 

Gertrude  had  answered  in  his  own  vein;  but  it  was  too 
evident  from  a  tremor  that  stole  into  her  voice,  that  memory 
was  also  busy  with  its  frightful  images.  The  Rover  was 
not  slow  to  detect  the  change.  Desirous  of  banishing  every 
recollection  that  might  give  her  pain,  he  artfully,  but  deli- 
cately, gave  a  new  direction  to  the  discourse. 

"  There  are  people  who  think  the  sea  has  no  amusements," 
he  said.  "To  a  pining,  homesic*k,  seasick,  miserable  lub- 
ber, this  may  be  true  enough;  but  the  man  who  has  suffi- 
cient spirit  to  keep  down  the  qualms  of  the  animal  may  tell 
a  different  tale.  We  have  our  balls  regularly,  for  instance; 
and  there  are  artists  on  board  this  ship  who,  though  they 
cannot,  perhaps,  make  as  accurate  a  right-angle  with  their 
legs  as  the  first  dancer  of  a  ballet,  can  go  through  their  fig- 
ures in  a  gale  of  wind;  which  is  more  than  can  be  said  of 
the  highest  jumper  of  them  all  on  shore." 

"  A  ball  without  females  would,  at  least,  be  thought  an 
unsocial  amusement,  with  us  uninstructed  people  of  terra 
firma." 

"  Hum !  It  might  be  all  the  better  for  a  lady  or  two. 
Then  we  have  our  theatre.  Farce,  comedy,  and  the  buskin 
take  their  turns  to  help  along  the  time.  Yon  fellow,  that 
you  see  lying  on  the  foretopsail-yard,  like  an  indolent  ser- 
pent basking  on  the  branch  of  a  tree,  will  'roar  you  as  gent- 
ly as  any  sucking-dove!'  And  here  is  a  votary  of  Momus, 
who  would  raise  a  smile  on  the  lips  of  a  seasick  friar.  I 
believe  I  can  say  no  more  in  his  commendation." 

"  All  this  is  well  in  the  description,"  returned  Mrs.  Wyl- 
lys;  "but  something  is  due  to  the  merit  of  the — poet  or 
painter  shall  I  term  you?" 

"  Neither,  but  a  grave  and  veritable  chronologer.  How- 
ever, since  you  doubt,  and  since  you  are  so  new  to  the 
ocean " 

"Pardon  me!"  the  lady  gravely  interrupted.  "On  the 
contrary,  I  have  seen  much  of  it." 

The  Rover,  who  had  rather  suffered  his  unsettled  glances 


296  THE  RED  ROVER. 

to  wander  over  the  youthful  countenance  of  Gertrude  than 
towards  her  companion,  now  bent  his  eyes  on  the  last 
speaker,  where  he  kept  them  fastened  so  long  as  to  create 
some  little  embarrassment  in  the  subject  of  his  gaze. 

"  You  seem  surprised  that  the  time  of  a  female  should 
have  been  thus  employed,"  she  observed,  with  a  view  to 
arouse  his  attention  to  the  impropriety  of  his  observation. 

"We  were  speaking  of  the  sea,  if^I  remember,"  he  con- 
tinued, like  a  man  that  was  suddenly  awakened  from  a  rev- 
erie. "  Ay,  I  know  it  was  of  the  sea ;  for  I  had  grown 
boastful  in  my  panegyrics;  I  had  told  you  that  this  ship 
was  faster  than — 

"Nothing!"  exclaimed  Gertrude,  laughing  at  his  blunder. 
"You  were  playing  master  of  ceremonies  at  a  nautical 
ball." 

"Will  you  figure  in  a  minuet?  Will  you  honor  my 
boards  with  the  graces  of  your  person?" 

"I,  sir?  and  with  whom?  With  the  gentleman  who 
knows  so  well  the  manner  of  keeping  his  feet  in  a  gale?" 

"You  were  about  to  relieve  any  doubts  we  might  have 
concerning  the  amusements  of  seamen,"  said  the  governess, 
reproving  the  too  playful  spirit  of  her  pupil  by  a  glance  of 
her  grave  eye. 

"Ay,  it  was  the  humor  of  the  moment, nor  will  I  balk  it." 

He  turned  to  Wilder,  who  had  posted  himself  within  ear- 
shot of  what  was  passing,  and  continued : 

"These  ladies  doubt  our  gayety,  Mr.  Wilder.  Let  the 
boatswain  give  the  magical  wind  of  his  call,  and  pass  the 
word,  'To  mischief/  among  the  people." 

Our  adventurer  bowed  his  acquiescence,  and  issued  the 
order.  In  a  few  moments,  the  individual  who  made  ac- 
quaintance with  the  reader  in  the  barroom  of  the  Foul  An- 
chor appeared  in  the  centre  of  the  vessel,  near  the  main 
hatchway,  decorated  as  before  with  his  silver  chain  and 
whistle,  and  accompanied  by  two  mates,  who  were  humbler 
scholars  of  the  same  gruff  school.  A  1  ng,  shrill  whistle 


THE   RED   ROVER.  297 

followed  from  the  instrument  of  Nightingale,  who,  when  the 
sound  had  died  away  on  the  ear,  roared,  in  his  least  sonor- 
ous tones : 

"All  hands  to  mischief,  ahoy!" 

We  have  before  had  occasion  to  liken  these  sounds  to  the 
muttering  of  a  bull,  nor  shall  we  see  fit  to  disturb  the  com- 
parison, since  no  other  similitude  so  apt  presents  itself. 
The  example  of  the  boatswain  was  followed  by  each  of  his 
mates  in  turn,  when  the  summons  was  deemed  sufficient. 
However  unintelligible  and  grum  the  call  might  sound  in 
the  ears  of  Gertrude,  it  produced  no  unpleasant  effects  on 
the  organs  of  a  majority  of  those  who  heard  it.  When  the 
first  note  of  the  call  mounted  on  the  air,  each  idle  and  ex- 
tended young  seaman,  as  he  lay  stretched  upon  a  spar  or 
hung  dangling  from  a  rattling,  lifted  his  head,  to  catch  the 
words  that  were  to  follow,  as  an  obedient  spaniel  pricks  his 
ears  to  catch  his  master's  voice.  But  no  sooner  was  the 
emphatic  word  pronounced,  which  preceded  the  long-drawn 
and  customary  exclamation  with  which  Nightingale  closed 
his  summons,  than  the  low  murmur  of  voices,  which  had  so 
long  been  maintained  among  the  men,  broke  out  in  a  com- 
mon shout.  Every  symptom  of  lethargy  disappeared  in  an 
instant  The  young  and  nimble  topmen  bounded  into  the 
rigging  of  their  respective  masts,  ascending  the  shaking  lad- 
ders of  ropes  like  so  many  squirrels  hastening  to  their  holes 
at  the  signal  of  alarm.  The  graver  and  heavier  seamen  of 
the  forecastle,  the  quartergunners  and  quartermasters,  the 
less  instructed  and  half-startled  waisters,  and  the  raw  and 
actually  alarmed  after-guard,  all  hurried,  by  a  sort  of  in- 
stinct, to  their  several  points;  the  more  practised  to  plot 
mischief  against  their  shipmates,  and  the  less  intelligent, 
conscious  of  their  ignorance,  to  concert  the  means  of  de- 
fence. 

In  an  instant,  the  tops  and  yards  were  ringing  with  laugh- 
ter and  jokes,  as  each  exulting  mariner  aloft  proclaimed  his 
device  to  his  fellows,  or  urged  his  own  inventions  at  the  ex- 


2$$  THE   RED    ROVER. 

pense  of  some  less  ingenious  mode  of  annoyance.  On  the 
other  hand,  the  distrustful  and  often  repeated  glances  that 
were  thrown  upward,  from  the  men  who  had  clustered  on  the 
quarter-deck  and  around  the  foot  of  the  mainmast,  suffi- 
ciently proclaimed  the  diffidence  with  which  the  novices  on 
deck  were  about  to  enter  into  the  expected  contest  of  practi- 
cal wit.  The  steady  and  more  earnest  seamen  forward, 
however,  maintained  their  places  with  a  stern  resolution 
which  proved  their  reliance  on  their  physical  force,  and  on 
their  long  familiarity  with  the  humors,  as  well  as  with  the 
dangers,  of  the  ocean. 

Another  little  cluster  of  men  assembled,  in  the  midst  of 
the  general  clamor  and  confusion,  with  a  haste  and  steadi- 
ness that  announced  both  a  consciousness  of  the  entire  ne- 
cessity of  unity  on  the  present  occasion,  and  the  habit  of 
acting  in  concert.  These  were  the  drilled  and  military  de- 
pendants of  the  general,  between  whom  and  the  less  artifi- 
cial seamen  there  existed  not  only  an  antipathy  that  might 
almost  be  called  instinctive,  but  which,  for  obvious  reasons, 
had  been  so  strongly  encouraged  in  the  vessel  of  which  we 
write,  as  often  to  manifest  itself  in  turbulent  and  nearly 
mutinous  broils.  About  twenty  in  number,  they  collected 
quickly;  and,  although  obliged  to  dispense  with  their  fire- 
arms in  such  an  amusement,  there  was  a  sternness  in  the 
visage  of  each  of  the  whiskered  worthies  that  showed  how 
readily  he  could  appeal  to  the  bayonet  that  was  suspended 
from  his  shoulder,  should  there  be  need.  Their  commander 
withdrew,  with  the  rest  of  the  officers,  to  the  poop,  in  order 
that  their  presence  should  prove  no  encumbrance  to  the  free- 
dom of  the  sports. 

A  couple  of  minutes  might  have  been  lost  in  producing 
the  different  changes  we  have  just  related.  But,  so  soon  as 
the  topmen  were  sure  that  no  unfortunate  laggard  of  their 
party  was  within  reach  of  the  resentment  of  the  different 
groups  beneath,  they  complied  literally  with  the  summons 
of  the  boatswain,  by  commencing  their  mischief. 


THE    RED    ROVER. 

Sundry  buckets,  most  of  which  had  been  provided  for  the 
extinction  of  fire,  were  quickly  pendant  from  as  many 
whips  *  on  the  outer  extremity  of  the  different  yards,  and 
descending  towards  the  sea.  In  spite  of  the  awkward  oppo- 
sition of  the  men  below,  these  leathern  vessels  were  speed- 
ily filled  and  run  up  to  the  yards  again.  Many  a  gaping 
waister  and  rigid  marine  now  made  a  more  familiar  ac- 
quaintance with  the  element  on  which  he  had  enlisted  than 
suited  either  his  convenience  or  his  humor.  So  long  as  the 
jokes  were  confined  to  these  semi-initiated  tyros,  the  top- 
men  enjoyed  the  fun  with  impunity;  but,  the  instant  the 
dignity  of  a  quartergunner's  person  was  invaded,  the  whole 
gang  of  petty  officers  and  forecastlemen  rose  in  a  body  to 
resent  the  insult.  They  made  their  retort  with  a  readiness 
and  dexterity  that  manifested  how  much  at  home  the  elder 
mariners  were  in  all  that  belonged  to  their  art.  A  small 
fire-engine  was  transferred  to  the  head,  and  brought  to  bear 
on  the  nearest  top,  like  a  well-planted  battery  clearing  the 
way  for  the  expected  charge.  The  laughing  and  chattering 
topmen  were  soon  dispersed;  some  ascending  beyond  the 
power  of  the  engine,  and  others  retreating  into  the  neighbor- 
ing top,  along  ropes  and  across  giddy  heights  that  would 
have  seemed  impracticable  to  any  animal  less  agile  than  a 
squirrel  or  a  monkey. 

The  marines  were  now  summoned  forward  by  the  success- 
ful and  malicious  mariners,  to  improve  their  advantage. 
Thoroughly  drenched  already,  and  eager  to  resent  their 
wrongs,  a  half-dozen  of  the  soldiers,  led  on  by  a  corporal, 
the  coating  of  whose  powdered  poll  had  been  converted  into 
a  sort  of  paste  by  too  great  an  intimacy  with  a  bucket  of 
water,  essayed  to  mount  the  rigging;  an  exploit  that  to  them 
was  much  more  arduous  than  it  would  have  been  to  enter  a 
breach.  The  waggish  quartergunners  and  quartermasters, 
satisfied  with  their  own  success,  stimulated  them  to  the  en- 
terprise; and  Nightingale  and  his  mates,  while  they  rolled 

*  A  rope  rove  through  a  single  block  is  termed  a    '  whip  "  in  nautical  language. 


3OO  THE    RED    ROVER. 

their  tongues  into  their  cheeks,  gave  forth  with  their  whis- 
tles the  cheering  sound  of  "heave  away!"  The  sight  of 
these  adventurers,  slowly  and  cautiously  mounting  the  rig- 
ging, acted  on  the  scattered  topmen  very  much  in  the  man- 
ner that  the  appearance  of  so  many  flies,  in  the  vicinity  of 
a  web,  is  known  to  act  on  their  concealed  and  rapacious 
enemy,  the  spider.  The  sailors  aloft  understood,  by  expres- 
sive glances  from  those  below,  that  a  soldier  was  consid- 
ered legal  game.  No  sooner,  therefore,  had  the  latter  fairly 
entered  into  the  toils,  than  twenty  topmen  rushed  out  upon 
them,  in  order  to  make  sure  of  their  prizes.  In  an  incredi- 
bly short  space  of  time  the  assailants  were  captured  to  a 
man. 

Two  or  three  of  the  aspiring  adventurers  were  lashed 
where  they  had  been  found,  unable  to  make  any  resistance 
in  a  spot  where  instinct  itself  irresistibly  urged  them  to  de- 
vote both  hands  to  the  necessary  duty  of  holding  fast;  while 
the  rest  were  transferred,  by  means  of  whips,  to  different 
spars,  very  much  in  the  manner  that  a  light  sail  or  a  yard 
would  have  been  swayed  into  its  place. 

In  the  midst  of  the  clamorous  rejoicings  that  attended 
this  success,  one  individual  made  himself  conspicuous  for 
the  gravity  and  business-like  air  with  which  he  performed 
his  particular  part  of  the  comedy.  Seated  on  the  outer  end 
of  a  lower  yard,  with  as  much  steadiness  as  if  he  had  been 
placed  on  an  ottoman,  he  was  gravely  occupied  in  examin- 
ing into  the  condition  of  a  captive,  who  had  been  run  up  at 
his  feet,  with  an  order  from  the  waggish  captain  of  the  top, 
"to  turn  him  in  for  a  jewel-block;"  an  appellation  that  is 
given  to  the  blocks  that  are  pendant  from  the  ends  of  certain 
yards,  and  which  appears  to  have  been  taken  from  the  pre- 
cious stones  that  are  so  often  seen  dangling  from  the  ears  of 
the  fair. 

"Ay,  ay,"  muttered  this  deliberate  and  grave-looking  tar, 
who  was  no  other  than  Richard  Fid,  "  the  stropping  you've 
sent  up  with  the  fellow  is  none  of  the  best;  and,  if  he 


THE    RED    ROVER.  t         301 

squeaks  so  now,  what  will  he  do  when  you  come  to  reeve 
a  rope  through  him!  By  the  Lord,  masters,  you  should  have 
furnished  the  lad  a  better  outfit,  if  you  meant  to  send  him 
into  good  company  aloft.  Here  are  more  holes  in  his  jacket 
than  there  are  cabin  windows  to  a  Chinese  junk.  Hilloa! 
— on  deck  there! — you  Guinea,  pick  me  up  a  tailor,  and 
send  him  aloft  to  keep  the  wind  out  of  this  waister's  tar- 
pauling." 

The  athletic  African,  who,  on  account  of  his  great 
strength,  had  been  posted  on  the  forecastle,  cast  an  eye  up- 
ward, and,  with  both  arms  thrust  into  his"  bosom,  he  rolled 
along  the  deck,  with  just  as  serious  a  mien  as  if  he  had  been 
sent  on  a  duty  of  the  gravest  kind.  The  uproar  overhead 
had  drawn  a  most  helpless-looking  mortal  from  a  retired 
corner  of  the  berth-deck  to  the  ladder  of  the  forward  hatch, 
where,  with  a  body  half  above  the  combings,  a  skein  of 
strong  coarse  thread  around  his  neck,  a  piece  of  bees'-wax 
in  one  hand,  and  a  needle  in  the  other,  he  stood  staring 
about  him  with  just  that  sort  of  bewildered  air  that  a  Chi- 
nese mandarin  would  manifest  were  he  to  be  suddenly  ini- 
tiated into  the  mysteries  of  the  ballet.  On  this  object  the 
eye  of  Scipio  fell.  Stretching  out  an  arm,  he  cast  him  upon 
his  shoulder,  and,  before  the  startled  subject  of  his  attack 
knew  into  whose  hands  he  had  fallen,  a  hook  was  passed 
beneath  the  waistband  of  his  trousers,  and  he  was  half-way 
between  the  water  and  the  spar,  on  his  way  to  Fid. 

"Have  a  care  lest  you  let  the  man  fall  into  the  sea!" 
cried  Wilder,  sternly,  from  his  stand  on  the  distant  poop. 

"  H'em  a  tailor,  Masser  Harry,"  returned  the  deliberate 
black;  "if  he  clothes  no  'trong,  he  nobody  to  blame  but 
heself." 

During  this  brief  parlance,  the  good-man  Homespun  had 
safely  arrived  at  the  termination  of  his  flight.  Here  he 
was  suitably  received  by  Fid,  who  raised  him  to  his  side; 
and,  having  placed  him  comfortably  between  the  yard 
and  the  boom,  he  proceeded  to  secure  him  by  a  lashing 


3O2  THE    RED    ROVER. 

that  would  give  the  tailor  the  proper  disposition  of  his 
hands. 

"Bouse  a  bit  on  this  waister!"  called  out  Richard,  when 
he  had  properly  secured  the  good-man;  "  so;  belay  all  that." 

He  then  put  one  foot  on  the  neck  of  his  prisoner,  and, 
seizing  his  lower  member  as  it  swung  uppermost,  he  coolly 
placed  it  in  the  lap  of  the  awe-struck  tailor. 

"  There,  friend,"  he  said,  "  handle  your  needle  and  palm 
now,  as  if  you  were  at  job-work.  Your  knowing  handicraft 
always  begins  with  the  foundation,  whereby  he  makes  sure 
that  his  upper  gear  will  stand." 

"  The  Lord  protect  me,  and  all  other  sinful  mortals,  from 
an  untimely  end!"  exclaimed  Homespun,  gazing  at  the  va- 
cant view  from  his  giddy  elevation,  with  a  sensation  a  little 
resembling  that  with  which  the  aeronaut,  in  his  first  experi- 
ment, regards  the  prospect  beneath. 

"  Settle  away  this  waister,"  again  called  Fid :  "  he  inter- 
rupts rational  conversation  by  his  noise;  and,  as  his  gear 
is  condemned  by  this  here  tailor,  why,  you  may  turn  him 
over  to  the  purser  for  a  new  outfit." 

The  real  motive,  however,  of  getting  rid  of  his  pendant 
companion  was  a  twinkling  of  humanity  that  still  glimmered 
through  the  rough  humor  of  the  tar,  who  well  knew  that  his 
prisoner  must  hang  where  he  did  at  a  good  deal  of  expense 
of  bodily  ease.  As  soon  as  his  request  was  complied  with, 
he  turned  to  the  good-man  to  renew  the  discourse  with  just 
as  much  composure  as  if  they  were  both  seated  on  the  deck, 
or  as  if  a  dozen  practical  jokes  of  the  same  character  were 
not  in  the  process  of  enactment  in  as  many  different  parts 
of  the  vessel. 

"  Why  do  you  open  your  eyes,  brother,  in  this  port-hole 
fashion?"  commenced  the  topman.  "This  is  all  water  that 
you  see  about  you,  except  that  hommoc  of  blue  in  the  eastern 
board,  which  is  a  morsel  of  upland  in  the  Bahamas,  d'ye  see." 

"A  sinful  and  presuming  world  is  this  we  live  in!"  re- 
turned the  good-man ;  "  nor  can  any  one  tell  at  what  moment 


THE    RED    ROVER,  303 

his  life  is  to  be  taken  from  him.  Five  bloody  and  cruel 
wars  have  I  lived  to  see  in  safety,  and  yet  am  I  reserved  to 
meet  this  disgraceful  and  profane  end  at  last." 

"  Well,  since  you  have  had  your  luck  in  the  wars,  you've 
the  less  reason  to  grumble  at  the  bit  of  a  surge  you  may 
have  felt  in  your  garments,  as  they  run  you  up  to  this  here 
yardarm.  I  say,  brother,  I  have  known  stouter  fellows  take 
the  same  ride,  who  never  knew  wjien  or  how  they  got  down 
again." 

Homespun,  who  did  not  more  than  half  comprehend  the 
allusion  of  Fid,  now  regarded  him  in  a  way  that  announced 
some  little  desire  for  an  explanation,  mingled  with  great  ad- 
miration of  the  unconcern  with  which  his  companion  main- 
tained his  position  without  the  smallest  aid  from  anything 
but  his  self -balancing  powers. 

"  I  say,  brother,"  resumed  Fid,  "  that  many  a  stout  sea- 
man has  been  whipped  up  to  the  end  of  a  yard,  who  has 
started  by  the  signal  of  a  gun,  and  who  has  stayed  there  just 
as  long  as  the  president  of  a  court-martial  was  pleased  to 
believe  might  be  necessary  to  improve  his  honesty!" 

"  It  would  be  a  fearful  and  frightful  trifling  with  Provi- 
dence, in  the  least  offending  and  conscientious  mariner,  to 
take  such  awful  punishments  in  vain,  by  acting  them  in  his 
sports :  but  doubly  so  do  I  pronounce  it  in  the  crew  of  a 
ship  on  which  no  man  can  say  at  what  hour  retribution  and 
compunction  are  to  alight.  It  seems  to  me  unwise  to  tempt 
Providence  by  these  provocating  exhibitions." 

Fid  cast  a  glance  of  more  than  usual  significance  at  the 
good-man,  and  even  postponed  his  reply  until  he  had  fresh- 
ened his  ideas  by  an  ample  addition  to  the  morsel  of  weed 
which  he  had  kept  all  along  thrust  into  one  of  his  cheeks. 
Then,  casting  his  eyes  about  him,  in  order  to  see  that  none 
of  his  noisy  and  riotous  companions  of  the  top  were  within 
ear-shot,  he  fastened  a  still  more  meaning  look  on  the  coun- 
tenance of  the  tailor,  and  responded  as  follows: 

"  Hark  ye,  brother,  whatever  may  be  the  other  good  points 


304  THE    RED    ROVER. 

of  Richard  Fid,  his  friends  cannot  say  he  is  much  of  a 
scholar.  This  being  the  case,  he  has  not  seen  fit  to  ask  a 
look  at  the  sailing  orders  on  coming  aboard  this  wholesome 
vessel.  I  suppose,  howsomever,  that  they  can  be  forthcom- 
ing at  need,  and  that  no  honest  man  need  be  ashamed  to  be 
found  cruising  under  the  same." 

"Ah!  Heaven  protect  such  unoffending  innocents  as 
serve  here  against  their  will,  when  the  allotted  time  of  the 
cruiser  shall  be  filled!"  returned  Homespun.  "I  take  it, 
however,  that  you,  as  a  seafaring  and  understanding  man, 
have  not  entered  into  this  enterprise  without  receiving  the 
bounty,  and  knowing  the  whole  nature  of  the  service?" 

"The  devil  a  bit  have  I  entered  at  all,  either  in  the  En- 
terprise or  in  the  Dolphin,  as  they  call  the  craft.  There  is 
Master  Harry,  the  lad  on  the  poop  there — he  who  hails  a 
yard  like  a  bull-whale  roaring — I  follow  his  signals,  d'ye 
see;  and  it  is  seldom  I  bother  him  with  questions  as  to 
what  tack  he  means  to  lay  his  boat  on  next." 

"What!  would  you  sell  your  soul  in  this  manner  to  Beel- 
zebub, and  that,  too,  without  a  price?" 

"  I  say,  friend,  it  may  be  as  well  to  overhaul  your  ideas 
before  you  let  them  slip,  in  this  no-man's  fashion,  from 
your  tongue.  I  would  wish  to  treat  a  gentleman,  who  has 
come  aloft  to  pay  me  a  visit,  with  such  civility  as  may  do 
credit  to  my  top,  though  the  crew  be  at  mischief,  d'ye  see. 
But  an  officer  like  him  I  follow  has  a  name  of  his  own,  with- 
out stopping  to  borrow  one  of  the  person  you've  just  seen  fit 
to  name.  I  scorn  such  a  pitiful  thing  as  a  threat;  but  a 
man  of  your  years  needn't  be  told  that  it  is  just  as  easy  to 
go  down  from  this  here  spar  as  it  was  to  come  up  to  it." 

The  tailor  cast  a  glance  beneath  him  into  the  brine,-  and 
hastened  to  do  away  the  unfavorable  impression  which  his 
last  unfortunate  interrogation  ha4  so  evidently  left  on  the 
mind  of  his  brawny  associate. 

"  Heaven  forbid  that  I  should  call  any  one  but  by  their 
given  and  family  names,  as  the  law  commands,"  he  said. 


THE   RED    ROVER.  305 

"  I  meant  merely  to  inquire,  if  you  would  follow  the  gentle- 
man you  serve  to  so  unseemly  and  pernicious  a  place  as  a 
gibbet?" 

Fid  ruminated  some  little  time,  before  he  could  muster 
his  ideas  to  reply  to  so  comprehensive  a  question.  During 
this  unusual  process,  he  agitated  the  weed,  with  which  his 
mouth  was  nearly  gorged,  with  great  industry;  and  then, 
terminating  both  processes,  by  casting  a  jet  of  the  juice 
nearly  to  the  spritsail-yard,  he  said,  in  a  very  decided  tone: 

"  If  I  wouldn't  may  I  be  d — d !  After  sailing  in  com- 
pany for  four-and-twenty  years,  I  should  be  no  better  than  a 
sneak,  to  part  company  because  such  a  trifle  as  a  gallows 
hove  in  sight." 

"  The  pay  of  such  a  service  should  be  both  generous  and 
punctual,  and  the  cheer  of  the  most  encouraging  character," 
the  good-man  observed,  in  a  way  which  manifested  that  he 
would  not  be  displeased  were  he  to  receive  a  circumstantial 
reply.  Fid  was  in  no  disposition  to  balk  his  curiosity,  but 
rather  deemed  himself  bound,  since  he  had  entered  on  the 
subject,  to  leave  no  part  of  it  unexplained. 

"  As  for  the  pay,  d'ye  see,"  he  said,  "  it  is  seaman's 
wages.  I  should  despise  myself  to  take  less  than  falls  to 
the  share  of  the  best  foremast-hand  in  a  ship,  since  it  would 
be  all  the  same  as  owning  that  I  got  my  deserts.  But  Mas- 
ter Harry  has  a  way  of  his  own  in  rating  men's  services; 
and  if  his  ideas  get  jammed  in  an  affair  of  this  sort,  it  is  no 
marlingspike  that  I  handle  which  can  loosen  them.  I  once 
just  named  the  propriety  of  getting  me  a  quartermaster's 
berth;  but  devil  the  bit  would  he  be  doing  the  thing,  seeing, 
as  he  says  himself,  that  I  have  a  fashion  of  getting  a  little 
hazy  at  times,  which  would  only  be  putting  me  in  danger  of 
disgrace ;  since  everybody  knows  that  the  higher  a  monkey 
climbs  in  the  rigging  of  a  ship,  the  easier  everybody  on  deck 
can  see  that  he  has  a  spar  abaft  which  isn't  human.  Then, 
as  to  cheer,  it  is  seaman's  fare;  sometimes  a  cut  to  sparelor 
a  friend,  an.d  sometimes  a  hungry  stomach." 
20 


306  THE    RED    ROVER. 

"But  then  there  are  often  divisions  of  the — a — a — the 
prize-money,  in  this  successful  cruiser?"  observed  the  good- 
man,  averting  his  face  as  he  spoke,  perhaps  from  a  con- 
sciousness that  it  might  betray  an  unseemly  interest  in  the 
answer.  "I  dare  say,  you  receive  amends  for  all  your 
sufferings,  when  the  purser  gives  forth  the  spoils?" 

"  Hark  ye,  brother,"  said  Fid,  again  assuming  a  look  of 
significance;  "can  you  tell  me  where  the  Admiralty  Court 
sits  which  condemns  her  prizes?" 

The  tailor  returned  the  glance  with  interest;  but  an  ex- 
traordinary uproar,  in  another  part  of  the  vessel,  cut  short 
the  dialogue,  just  as  there  was  a  rational  probability  it 
might  lead  to  some  consolatory  explanations  "between  the 
parties. 

As  the  action  of  the  tale  is  shortly  to  be  set  in  motion 
again,  we  shall  refer  the  cause  of  the  commotion  to  the  open- 
ing of  the  succeeding  chapter. 


CHAPTER   XX. 

Come  and  get  thee  a  sword,  though  made  of  a  lath  ; 

They  have  been  up  these  two  days. 

King  Henry  VI, 

WHILE  the  little  by-play  that  we  have  just  related  was  enact- 
ing on  the  fore  yard-arm  of  the  Rover,  scenes  that  partook 
equally  of  the  nature  of  tragedy  and  farce  were  in  the  proc- 
ess of  exhibition  elsewhere.  The  contest  between  the  pos- 
sessors of  the  deck  and  the  active  tenants  of  the  top  was 
far  from  having  reached  its  termination.  Blows  had,  in 
more  than  one  instance,  succeeded  to  angry  words;  and,  as 
the  former  was  a  part  of  the  sports  in  which  the  marines  and 
waisters  were  on  an  equality  with  their  more  ingenious  tor- 
mentors, the  war  was  beginning  to  be  waged  with  some  ap- 
pearances of  a  doubtful  success.  Nightingale,  however,  was 
always  ready  to  recall  the  combatants  to  their  sense  of  pro- 


THE  RED  ROVER.  30? 

priety,  with  his  well-known  wind  of  the  call,  and  his  mur- 
muring voice.  A  long,  shrill  whistle,  with  the  words 
"Good  humor,  ahoy!"  had  hitherto  served  to  keep  down  the 
rising  tempers  of  the  different  parties,  when  the  joke  bore 
too  hard  on  the  high-spirited  soldier,  or  the  revengeful, 
though  perhaps  less  mettlesome,  member  of  the  after-guard. 
But  an  oversight  on  the  part  of  him  who  in  common  kept  so 
vigilant  an  eye  on  the  movements  of  all  beneath  his  orders, 
had  nearly  led  to  results  of  a  more  serious  nature. 

No  sooner  had  the  crew  commenced  the  rough  sports  we 
have  just  related  than  the  vein  which  had  induced  the 
Rover  momentarily  to  loosen  the  reins  of  discipline  seemed 
suddenly  to  subside.  The  gay  and  cheerful  air  that  he  had 
maintained  in  his  dialogue  with  his  female  guests  (or  pris- 
oners, whichever  he  might  be  disposed  to  consider  them) 
had  disappeared  in  a  thoughtful  and  clouded  brow.  His 
eye  no  longer  lighted  with  those  glimmerings  of  wayward 
and  sarcastic  humor  in  which  he  loved  occasionally  to  in- 
dulge, but  its  expression  became  settled  and  austere.  His 
mind  had  relapsed  into  one  of  those  brooding  reveries  that 
so  often  obscured  his  mien,  as  a  shadow  darkens  the  golden 
tints  of  the  ripe  and  waving  corn. 

While  most  of  those  who  were  not  actors  in  the  humorous 
achievements  of  the  crew  steadily  regarded  the  same,  some 
with  wonder,  others  with  distrust,  and  all  with  more  or  less 
of  the  humor  of  the  hour,  the  Rover,  to  all  appearance,  was 
unconscious  of  all  that  was  going  on.  It  is  true  that  at 
times  he  raised  his  eyes  to  the  active  beings  who  clung  like 
squirrels  to  the  ropes,  or  suffered  them  to  fall  on  the  duller 
movements  of  the  men  below ;  but  it  was  always  with  a  va- 
cancy which  proved  that  the  image  they  carried  to  the  brain 
was  dim  and  illusory.  The  looks  he  cast  from  time  to  time 
on  Mrs.  Wyllys  and  her  fair  and  interested  pupil  betrayed 
the  workings  of  the  temper  of  the  inward  man.  It  was  only 
in  these  brief  but  comprehensive  glances  that  the  feelings 
by  which  he  was  governed  might  have  been,  in  any  manner, 


308  THE    RED    ROVER. 

traced  to  their  origin.  Still  the  nicest  observer  would  have 
been  puzzled  in  endeavoring  to  pronounce  on  the  entire 
character  of  the  emotions  uppermost  in  his  mind.  At  in- 
stants, it  might  have  been  fancied  that  some  unholy  and 
licentious  passion  was  getting  the  ascendency;  and  then, 
as  his  eye  ran  rapidly  over  the  chaste  and  matronly,  though 
still  attractive,  countenance  of  the  governess,  the  look  of 
doubt,  as  well  as  of  respect,  with  which  he  gazed,  was  too 
obvious  to  be  misinterpreted. 

While  the  Rover  was  thus  occupied,  the  sports  proceeded, 
sometimes  humorous  and  forcing  smiles  from  the  lips  of  the 
half -terrified  Gertrude,  but  always  tending  to  that  violence 
and  outbreaking  of  anger  which  might,  at  any  moment,  set 
at  naught  the  discipline  of  a  vessel  in  which  there  were  no 
other  means  of  enforcing  authority  than  such  as  its  officers 
could  on  the  instant  command.  Water  had  been  so  lav- 
ishly expended  that  the  decks  were  running  with  the  fluid, 
more  than  one  flight  of  spray  having  invaded  the  privileged 
precincts  of  the  poop.  Every  ordinary  device  of  similar 
scenes  had  been  resorted  to  by  the  men  aloft  to  annoy  their 
less  advantageously  posted  shipmates  beneath;  and  such 
means  of  retaliation  had  been  adopted  as  use  or  facility  ren- 
dered obvious.  Here  a  hog  and  a  waister  were  seen  swing- 
ing against  each  other,  pendant  beneath  a  top;  there  a  ma- 
rine, lashed  in  the  rigging,  was  obliged  to  suffer  the  manip- 
ulation of  a  pet  monkey,  which,  drilled  to  the  duty  and 
armed  with  a  comb,  was  posted  on  his  shoulder,  with  an  air 
as  grave  and  an  eye  as  observant  as  if  he  had  been  regularly 
educated  in  the  art  of  the  perruquier;  and  everywhere,  some 
coarse  and  practical  joke  proclaimed  the  licentious  liberty 
which  had  been  momentarily  accorded  to  a  set  of  beings 
who  were,  in  common,  kept  in  that  restraint  which  comfort, 
no  less  than  safety,  requires  for  the  well-ordering  of  an 
armed  ship. 

In  the  midst  of  the  noise  and  turbulence  a  voice  was 
heard,  apparently  issuing  from  the  ocean,  hailing  the  vessel 


THE  .RED    ROVER.  309 

by  name,  with  the  aid  of  a  speaking-trumpet,  that  had  been 
applied  to  the  outer  circumference  of  a  hawse-hole. 

"Who  speaks  the  Dolphin?"  demanded  Wilder,  when  he 
perceived  that  the  summons  had  fallen  on  the  ears  of  his 
commander,  without  recalling  him  to  the  recollection  of 
what  was  in  action. 

"  Father  Neptune  is  under  your  forefoot." 

"What  wills  the  god?" 

"  He  has  heard  that  certain  strangers  have  come  into  his 
dominions,  and  he  wishes  leave  to  come  aboard  the  saucy 
Dolphin,  to  inquire  into  their  errands,  and  to  overhaul  the 
logbook  for  their  characters." 

"  He  is  welcome.  Show  the  old  man  aboard  through  the 
head;  he  is  too  experienced  a  sailor  to  wish  to  come  in  by 
the  cabin-windows." 

Here  the  parlance  ceased;  for  Wilder  turned  upon  his 
heel,  disgusted  with  his  part  of  the  mummery. 

An  athletic  seaman  soon  appeared,  seemingly  issuing 
from  the  element  whose  deity  he  personated.  Mops,  drip- 
ping with  brine,  supplied  the  place  of  hoary  locks;  gulf- 
weed,  of  which  acres  were  floating  within  a  league  of  the 
ship,  composed  a  sort  of  negligent  mantle;  and  in  his  hand 
he  bore  a  trident,  made  of  three  marlingspikes  properly  ar- 
ranged, and  borne  on  the  staff  of  a  half-pike.  Thus  ac- 
coutred, the  god  of  the  ocean,  who  was  no  less  a  personage 
than  the  captain  of  the  forecastle,  advanced  with  a  suitable 
air  of  dignity  along  the  deck,  attended  by  a  train  of  bearded 
water-nymphs  and  naiades,  in  costumes  as  grotesque  as  his 
own.  Arrived  on  the  quarter-deck,  in  front  of  the  position 
occupied  by  the  officers,  the  principal  personage  saluted  the 
group,  with  a  wave  of  his  sceptre,  and  resumed  the  discourse 
as  follows :  Wilder,  from  the  continued  abstraction  of  his 
commander,  finding  himself  under  the  necessity  of  maintain- 
ing one  portion  of  the  dialogue. 

"  A  wholesome  and  prettily  rigged  boat  have  you  come 
out  in  this  time,  my  son;  and  one  well  filled  with  a  noble 


3IO  THE    RED    ROVER, 

set  of  my  children.  How  long  is  it  since  you  left  the 
land?" 

"  Some  eight  days." 

"  Hardly  time  enough  to  give  the  green  ones  the  use  of 
their  sea  legs.  I  shall  be  able  to  find  them,  by  the  manner 
in  which  they  hold  on  in  a  calm."  [Here  the  General,  who 
was  standing  with  a  scornful  and  averted  eye,  let  go  his  hold 
of  a  mizzen-shroud,  which  he  had  grasped  for  no  other  visi- 
ble reason  than  to  render  his  person  utterly  immovable; 
Neptune  smiled,  and  continued:]  "I  sha'n't  ask  concern- 
ing the  port  you  are  last  from,  seeing  that  the  Newport 
soundings  are  still  hanging  about  the  flukes  of  your  anchors. 
I  hope  you  haven't  brought  out  many  fresh  hands  with  you, 
for  I  smell  the  stock-fish  aboard  a  Baltic-man,  who  is  com- 
ing down  with  the  trades,  and  who  can't  be  more  than  a 
hundred  leagues  from  this;  I  shall  therefore  have  but  little 
time  to  overhaul  your  people,  in  order  to  give  them  their 
papers." 

"  You  see  them  all  before  you.  So  skilful  a  mariner  as 
Neptune  needs  no  advice  when  or  how  to  tell  a  seaman." 

"  I  shall  then  begin  with  this  gentleman,"  continued  the 
waggish  head  of  the  forecastle,  turning  towards  the  still  mo- 
tionless chief  of  the  marines.  "There  is  a  strong  look  of 
the  land  about  him;  and  I  should  like  to  know  how  many 
hours  it  is  since  he  first  floated  over  blue  water?" 

"  I  believe  he  has  made  many  voyages ;  and  I  dare  say 
has  long  since  paid  the  proper  tribute  to  your  majesty." 

"Well,  well;  the  thing  is  like  enough,  tho'f  I  will  say  I 
have  known  scholars  make  better  use  of  their  time,  if  he  has 
been  as  long  on  the  water  as  you  pretend.  How  is  it  with 
these  ladies?" 

"  Both  have  been  at  sea  before,  and  have  a  right  to  pass 
without  a  question,"  resumed  Wilder,  a  little  hastily. 

"  The  youngest  is  comely  enough  to  have  been  born  in  my 
dominions,"  said  the  gallant  sovereign  of  the  sea:  "but  no 
one  can  refuse  to  answer  a  hail  that  comes  straight  from  the 


THE   REt>   ROVER.  311 

mouth  of  old  Neptune ;  so,  if  it  makes  no  great  difference  in 
your  honor'  s  reckoning,  I  will  just  beg  the  young  woman  to 
do  her  own  talking."  Then,  without  paying  the  least  atten- 
tion to  the  angry  glance  of  Wilder,  the  sturdy  representative 
of  the  god  addressed  himself  directly  to  Gertrude.  "  If,  as 
report  goes,  my  pretty  damsel,  you  have  seen  blue  water  be- 
fore this  passage,  you  may  be  able  to  recollect  the  name  of 
the  vessel,  and  some  other  small  particulars  of  the  run?" 

The  face  of  Gertrude  changed  its  color  from  red  to  pale, 
as  rapidly  and  as  glowingly  as  the  evening  sky  flushes  and 
returns  to  its  pearl-like  loveliness;  but  she  kept  down  her 
feelings  sufficiently  to  answer  with  an  air  of  entire  self-pos- 
session : 

"  Were  I  to  enter  into  all  these  little  particulars,  it  would 
detain  you  from  more  worthy  subjects.  Perhaps  this  certifi- 
cate will  convince  you  that  I  am  no  novice  on  the  sea."  As 
she  spoke,  a  guinea  fell  from  her  white  hand  into  the  broad 
and  extended  palm  of  her  interrogator. 

"  I  can  only  account  for  my  not  remembering  your  lady- 
ship, by  the  great  extent  and  heavy  nature  of  my  business," 
returned  the  audacious  freebooter,  bowing  with  an  air  of  rude 
politeness  as  he  pocketed  the  offering.  "  Had  I  looked  into 
my  books  before  I  came  aboard  this  here  ship,  I  should  have 
seen  through  the  mistake  at  once;  for  now  I  remember  that 
I  ordered  one  of  my  limners  to  take  your  pretty  face,  in  or- 
der that  I  might  show  it  to  my  wife  at  home.  The  fellow 
did  it  well  enough,  in  the  shell  of  an  East  India  oyster;  I 
will  have  a  copy  set  in  coral,  and  sent  to  your  husband, 
whenever  you  may  see  fit  to  choose  one." 

Then,  repeating  his  bow,  with  a  scrape  of  the  foot  he 
turned  to  the  governess,  in  order  to  continue  his  examina- 
tion. 

"  And  you,  madam,"  he  said,  "  is  this  the  first  time  you 
have  ever  come  into  my  dominions,  or  not?" 

"  Neither  the  first  nor  the  twentieth ;  I  have  often  seen 
your  majesty  before." 


312  THE    RED    ROVER. 

"  An  old  acquaintance !  In  what  latitude  might  it  be  that 
we  first  fell  in  with  each  other?" 

"I  believe  I  first  enjoyed  that  honor,  quite  thirty  years 
since,  under  the  Equator." 

"  Ay,  ay,  I'm  often  there,  looking  out  for  Indiamen  and 
your  homeward-bound.  Brazil  traders.  I  boarded  a  particu- 
larly great  number  that  very  season,  but  can't  say  I  remem- 
ber your  countenance." 

"  I  fear  that  thirty  years  have  made  some  changes  in  it," 
returned  the  governess,  with  a  smile,  which,  though  mourn- 
ful, was  far  too  dignified  in  its  melancholy  to  induce  the 
suspicion  that  she  regretted  a  loss  so  vain  as  that  of  her 
personal  charms.  "I  was  in  a  vessel  of  the  king,  and  one 
that  was  a  little  remarkable  for  its  size,  since  it  was  of  three 
decks." 

The  god  received  the  guinea,  which  was  now  secretly 
offered;  but  it  would  seem  that  success  had  quickened  his 
covetousness,  for,  instead  of  returning  thanks,  he  rather  ap- 
peared to  manifest  a  disposition  to  increase  the  amount  of 
the  bribe. 

"  All  this  may  be  just  as  your  ladyship  says,"  he  rejoined ; 
"but  the  interest  of  my  kingdom,  and  a  large  family  at 
home,  make  it  necessary  that  I  should  look  sharp  to  my 
rights.  Was  there  a  flag  in  the  vessel?" 

"There  was." 

"  Then  it  is  likely  they  hoisted  it,  as  usual,  at  the  end  of 
the  jib-boom?" 

"  It  was  hoisted,  as  is  usual  with  a  vice-admiral,  at  the 
fore." 

"Well  answered,  for  petticoats!"  muttered  the  deity,  a 
little  baffled  in  his  artifice.  "It  is  d — d  queer,  saving 
your  ladyship's  presence,  that  I  should  have  forgotten  such 
a  ship.  Was  there  anything  of  the  extraordinary  sort,  that 
one  would  be  likely  to  remember?" 

The  features  of  the  governess  had  already  lost  their  forced 
pleasantry  in  a  shade  of  reflection,  and  her  eye  was  fast- 


THE    RED    ROVER.  313 

ened  on  vacancy  as  she  answered  like  one  who  thought 
aloud : 

"  I  can,  at  this  moment,  see  the  arch  and  roguish  manner 
with  which  that  wayward  boy,  who  then  had  but  eight  years, 
overreached  the  cunning  of  the  mimic  Neptune,  and  retali- 
ated for  his  devices  by  turning  the  laugh  of  all  on  board  on 
his  own  head!" 

"  Was  he  but  eight?"  demanded  a  deep  voice  at  her  elbow. 

"  Eight  in  years,  but  mature  in  artifice,"  returned  Mrs. 
Wyllys,  seeming  to  awake  from  a  trance,  as  she  turned  her 
eyes  full  upon  the  face  of  the  Rover. 

"  Well,  well,"  interrupted  the  captain  of  the  forecastle, 
who  cared  not  to  continue  an  inquiry  in  which  his  dreaded 
commander  saw  fit  to  take  a  part,  "  I  dare  say  it  is  all  right. 
I  will  look  into  my  journal;  if  I  find  it  so,  well — if  not, 
why,  it's  only  giving  the  ship  a  head-wind,  until  I've  over- 
hauled the  Dane,  and  then  it  will  be  all  in  good  time  to  re- 
ceive the  balance  of  the  fee." 

So  saying,  the  god  hurried  past  the  officers,  and  turned 
his  attention  to  the  marine  guard,  who  had  grouped  them- 
selves in  a  body,  secretly  aware  of  the  necessity  each  man 
might  be  under  of  receiving  support  from  his  fellows  in  so 
searching  a  scrutiny.  Perfectly  familiar  with  the  career 
each  individual  among  them  had  run  in  his  present  lawless 
profession,  and  secretly  apprehensive  that  his  authority 
might  be  suddenly  forced  from  him,  the  chief  of  the  forecas- 
tle selected  a  raw  landsman  from  among  them,  ordering  his 
attendants  to  drag  the  victim  forward,  where  he  believed 
they  might  act  the  cruel  revels  he  contemplated  with  less 
danger  of  interruption.  Already  irritated  by  the  laughs 
which  had  been  created  at  their  expense,  and  resolute  to  de- 
fend their  comrade,  the  marines  resisted.  A  long,  clamor- 
ous, and  angry  dispute  succeeded,  during  which  each  party 
maintained  its  right  to  pursue  the  course  it  had  adopted. 
From  words  the  disputants  were  not  long  in  passing  to  the 
usual  signs  of  hostilities.  While  the  peace  of  the  ship  thus 


314  THE  RED   ROVER. 

hung,  as  it  were,  suspended  by  a  hair,  the  general  saw  Tit  to 
express  the  disgust  of  such  an  outrage  upon  discipline, 
which  had,  throughout  the  whole  scene,  possessed  his 
mind. 

"  I  protest  against  this  riotous  and  unmilitary  procedure," 
he  said,  addressing  himself  to  his  still  abstracted  and 
thoughtful  superior.  "  I  have  taught  my  men,  I  trust,  the 
proper  spirit  of  soldiers;  and  there  is  no  greater  disgrace 
can  happen  to  one  of  them  than  to  lay  hands  on  him,  except 
it  be  in  the  regular  and  wholesome  way  of  a  cat.  I  give 
open  warning  to  all,  that  if  a  finger  is  put  upon  one  of  my 
bullies,  unless  as  I  have  said  in  the  way  of  discipline,  it 
will  be  answered  with  a  blow." 

As  the  general  had  not  essayed  to  smother  his  voice,  it 
was  heard  by  his  followers,  and  produced  the  effect  which 
might  have  been  expected.  A  vigorous  thrust  from  the  fist 
of  the  sergeant  drew  mortal  blood  from  the  visage  of  the 
god  of  the  sea,  at  once  establishing  his  terrestrial  origin. 
Thus  compelled  to  vindicate  his  manhood,  in  more  senses 
than  one,  the  stout  seaman  returned  the  salutation,  with  such 
additional  embellishments  as  the  exigencies  of  the  moment 
seemed  to  require.  Such  an  interchange  of  civilities,  be- 
tween two  so  prominent  personages,  was  the  signal  of  general 
hostilities  among  their  respective  followers.  It  was  the 
uproar  which  attended  this  onset  that  caught  the  attention 
of  Fid,  who,  the  instant  he  saw  the  nature  of  the  sports  be- 
low, abandoned  his  companion  on  the  yard,  and  slid  down 
to  the  deck  by  the  aid  of  a  backstay,  with  as  much  facility 
as  a  monkey  could  have  shown  in  the  same  manoeuvre.  His 
example  was  followed  by  all  the  topmen;  and  there  was 
every  appearance  that  the  audacious  marines  would  be  borne 
down  by  the  sheer  force  of  numbers.  But,  stout  in  their 
resolution  and  bitter  in  their  hostility,  these  drilled  war- 
riors, instead  of  seeking  refuge  in  flight,  fell  back  upon  each 
other  for  support.  Bayonets  were  seen  gleaming  in  the  sun  ; 
while  some  of  the  seamen,  in  the  exterior  of  the  crowd,  were 


THE    RED    ROVER.  315 

already  laying  their  hands  on  the  half-pikes  that  formed  a 
warlike  ornament  to  the  foot  of  the  mast. 

"Hold!  stand  back,  every  man  of  you!"  cried  Wilder, 
dashing  into  the  centre  of  the  throng  and  forcing  them  aside, 
with  a  haste  that  was  possibly  quickened  by  the  recollection 
of  the  increased  danger  that  would  surround  the  unprotected 
females,  should  the  bands  of  subordination  be  once  broken 
among  so  lawless  and  desperate  .a  crew.  "  On  your  lives, 
fall  back,  and  obey.  And  you,  sir,  who  claim  to  be  so  good 
a  soldier,  I  call  on  you  to  bid  your  men  refrain." 

The  general,  however  disgusted  he  might  have  been  by 
the  previous  scene,  had  too  many  important  interests  in- 
volved in  the  interior  peace  of  the  vessel,  not  to  exert  him- 
self at  this  appeal.  He  was  seconded  by  all  the  inferior 
officers,  who  well  knew  that  their  lives,  as  well  as  their 
comfort,  depended  on  staying  the  torrent  that  had  so  unex- 
pectedly broken  loose.  But  they  only  proved  how  hard  it  is 
to  uphold  an  authority  that  is  not  established  on  the  foun- 
dation of  legitimate  power.  Neptune  had  cast  aside  his 
masquerade;  and,  backed  by  his  stout  forecastlemen,  was 
preparing  for  a  conflict  that  might  speedily  give  him  greater 
pretensions  to  immortal  nature  than  those  he  had  just  re- 
jected. Until  now,  the  officers,  partly  by  threats  and  partly 
by  remonstrances,  had  so  far  controlled  the  outbreaking, 
that  the  time  had  been  passed  rather  in  preparations  than  in 
violence.  But  the  marines  had  seized  their  arms ;  while  two 
crowded  masses  of  the  mariners  were  forming  on  each  side 
of  the  mainmast,  abundantly  provided  with  pikes  and  such 
other  weapons  as  could  be  made  of  the  bars  and  handspikes 
of  the  vessel.  One  or  two  of  the  cooler  heads  among  the 
latter  had  even  proceeded  so  far  as  to  clear  away  a  gun, 
which  they  were  pointing  in-board,  and  in  a  direction  that 
might  have  swept  a  moiety  of  the  quarter-deck.  In  short, 
the  broil  had  reached  that  pass  when  another  blow  struck 
from  either  side  must  have  given  up  the  vessel  to  plunder 
and  massacre.  The  danger  of  such  a  crisis  was  heightened 


316  THE    RED    ROVER. 

by  the  taunts  that  broke  forth  from  profane  lips,  which  were 
only  opened  to  lavish  the  coarsest  revilings  on  the  persons 
and  characters  of  their  enemies. 

During  the  five  minutes  that  might  have  flown  by  in  these 
sinister  and  threatening  symptoms  of  insubordination,  the 
individual  who  was  chiefly  interested  in  the  maintenance  of 
discipline  had  manifested  the  most  extraordinary  indiffer- 
ence to,  or  rather  unconsciousness  of,  all  that  was  passing 
near  him.  With  his  arms  folded  on  his  breast  and  his  eyes 
fastened  on  the  placid  sea,  he  stood  motionless  as  the  mast 
near  which  he  had  placed  his  person.  Long  accustomed  to 
the  noise  of  scenes  similar  to  the  one  he  had  himself  pro- 
voked, he  heard,  in  the  confused  sounds  which  rose  unheeded 
on  his  ear,  no  more  than  the  commotion  which  ordinarily 
attended  the  license  of  such  sports. 

His  subordinates  in  command,  however,  were  far  more 
active.  Wilder  had  already  beaten  back  the  boldest  of  the 
seamen,  and  a  space  was  cleared  between  the  hostile  parties, 
into  which  his  assistants  threw  themselves,  with  the  haste 
of  men  who  knew  how  much  was  required  at  their  hands. 
This  momentary  success  might  have  been  pushed  too  far; 
for,  believing  that  the  spirit  of  mutiny  was  subdued,  our  ad- 
venturer was  proceeding  to  improve  his  advantage,  by  seiz- 
ing the  most  audacious  of  the  offenders,  when  his  prisoner 
was  immediately  torn  from  his  grasp  by  twenty  of  his  con- 
federates. 

"  Who's  this,  that  sets  himself  up  for  a  commodore  aboard 
the  Dolphin?"  exclaimed  a  voice  in  the  crowd,  at  a  most  un- 
happy moment  for  the  authority  of  the  new  lieutenant.  "  In 
what  fashion  did  he  come  aboard  us?  or  in  what  service  did 
he  learn  his  trade?" 

"  Ay,  ay,"  continued  another  sinister  voice,  "  where  is  the 
Bristol  trader  he  was  to  lead  into  our  net,  and  for  which 
we  lost  so  many  of  the  best  days  in  the  season,  at  a  lazy 
anchor?" 

A  general  and  simultaneous  murmur  followed,  which,  had 


THE    RED    ROVER.  3 1/ 

such  testimony  been  wanting,  would  in  itself  have  mani- 
fested that  the  unknown  officer  was  scarcely  more  fortunate 
in  his  present  than  in  his  recent  service.  Both  parties  unit- 
ed in  condemning  his  interference,  and  from  both  sides 
were  heard  scornful  opinions  of  his  origin,  mingled  with 
unequivocal  denunciations  against  his  person. 

Nothing  daunted  by  these  evidences  of  the  danger  he  was 
in,  our  adventurer  answered  thejr  taunts  with  the  most 
scornful  smiles,  challenging  a  single  individual  of  them  all 
to  dare  to  step  forth,  and  maintain  his  words  by  suitable 
actions. 

"  Hear  him!"  exclaimed  his  auditors. — "  He  speaks  like  a 
king's  officer  in  chase  of  a  smuggler!"  cried  one. — "Ay, 
he's  a  bold  'un  in  a  calm,"  said  a  second. — "  He's  a  Jonah, 
that  has  slipped  into  the  cabin  windows!"  cried  a  third; 
"  and  while  he  stays  in  the  Dolphin,  luck  will  keep  upon 
our  weather-beam." — "  Into  the  sea  with  him !  overboard 
with  the  upstart!  into  the  sea  with  him!  where  he'll  find 
that  a  bolder  and  a  better  man  has  gone  before  him!" 
shouted  a  dozen  at  once;  some  of  whom  immediately  made 
very  plain  demonstrations  of  an  intention  to  put  their  threat 
in  execution.  But  two  forms  instantly  sprang  from  the 
crowd,  and  threw  themselves,  like  angry  lions,  between 
Wilder  and  his  foes.  The  one  who  was  foremost  in  the  res- 
cue faced  short  upon  the  advancing  seamen,  and,  with  a 
blow  from  an  arm  that  was  irresistible,  levelled  the  repre- 
sentative of  Neptune  to  his  feet,  as  if  he  had  been  a  waxen 
image  of  a  man.  The  other  was  not  slow  to  imitate  his  ex- 
ample; and,  as  the  throng  receded  before  this  secession 
from  its  own  numbers,  the  latter,  who  was  Fid,  flourished  a 
fist  that  was  as  big  and  almost  as  solid  as  a  twelve-pound 
shot,  while  he  vociferated,  fairly  frothing  at  the  mouth  with 
rage : 

"  Away  with  ye,  ye  lubbers !  away  with  ye !  Would  you 
run  foul  of  a  single  man,  and  he  an  officer,  and  such  an  offi- 
cer as  ye  never  set  eyes  on  before,  except,  mayhap,  in  the 


3l8  THE    RED    ROVER. 

fashion  that  a  cat  looks  upon  a  king?  I  should  like  to  see 
the  man,  among  ye  all,  who  can  handle  a  heavy  ship,  in  a 
narrow  channel,  as  I  have  seen  Master  Harry  here  handle 
the  saucy " 

"Stand  back!"  cried  Wilder,  forcing  himself  between  his 
defenders  and  his  foes.  "  Stand  back,  I  say,  and  leave  me 
alone  to  meet  the  audacious  villains." 

"Overboard  with  him!  overboard  with  them  all!"  cried 
the  seamen,  "he  and  his  knaves  together!" 

"  Will  you  remain  silent,  and  see  murder  done  before  your 
eyes?"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Wyllys,  rushing  from  her  place  of 
retreat,  and  laying  a  hand  eagerly  on  the  arm  of  the  Rover. 

He  started  like  one  who  was  awakened  suddenly  from  a 
light  sleep,  looking  her  full  and  intently  in  the  eye. 

"See!"  she  added,  pointing  to  the  violent  throng  below, 
where  every  sign  of  a  bloody  struggle  was  exhibiting  itself. 
"  See,  they  kill  your  officer,  and  there  is  none  to  help  him!" 

The  look  of  faded  marble,  which  had  so  long  been  seated 
on  his  features,  vanished.  Taking  in  the  whole  nature  of 
the  scene  at  the  glance,  the  blood  came  rushing  into  every 
vein  and  fibre  of  his  face.  Seizing  a  rope  which  hung  from 
the  yard  above  his  head,  he  swung  his  person  off  the  poop, 
and  fell  lightly  into  the  very  centre  of  the  crowd.  Both 
parties  fell  back,  while  a  sudden  silence  succeeded  to  a 
clamor  that  a  moment  before  would  have  drowned  the  roar 
of  a  cataract.  Making  a  haughty  and  repelling  motion  with 
his  arm,  he  spoke,  and  in  a  voice  that,  if  any  change  could 
be  noted,  was  even  pitched  on  a  key  less  high  and  threaten- 
ing than  common.  But  the  lowest  and  the  deepest  of  its  in- 
tonations reached  the  most  distant  ear,  so  that  no  one  who 
heard  was  left  in  doubt  of  its  meaning. 

"Mutiny!"  he  said,  in  a  tone  that  strangely  balanced  be- 
tween irony  and  scorn;  " open,  violent,  and  blood-seeking 
mutiny!  Are  ye  tired  of  your  lives,  men?  Is  there  one, 
among  ye  all,  who  is  willing  to  make  himself  an  example 
for  the  good  of  the  rest?  If  there  be,  let  him  lift  a  hand,  a 


THE    KED    ROVER.  319 

finger,  a  hair.     Let  him  speak,  look  me  in  the  eye,  or  dare 
to  show  that  life  is  in  him,  by  sign,  breath,  or  motion!" 

He  paused;  and  so  general  and  absorbing  was  the  spell 
produced  by  his  presence  and  his  mien,  that,  in  all  that 
crowd  of  fierce  and  excited  spirits,  there  was  not  one  so  bold 
as  to  presume  to  brave  his  anger.  Sailors  and  marines 
stood,  alike  passive,  humbled,  and  obedient  as  faulty  chil- 
dren, when  arraigned  before  an  authority  from  which  they 
feel  that  escape  is  impossible.  Perceiving  that  no  voice  an- 
swered, no  limbs  moved,  nor  even  an  eye  among  them  all 
was  bold  enough  to  meet  his  own  steady  but  glowing  look, 
he  continued,  in  the  same  deep  and  commanding  tone :  ' 

"It  is  well:  reason  has  come  of  the  latest;  but,  happily 
for  ye  all,  it  has  returned.  Fall  back,  fall  back,  I  say;  you 
taint  the  quarter-deck." — The  men  receded  a  pace  or  two 
on  every  side  of  him. — "  Let  those  arms  be  stacked ;  it  will 
be  time  to  use  them  when  I  say  there  is  need.  And  you, 
fellows,  who  have  been  so  bold  as  to  lift  a  pike  without  an 
order,  have  a  care  they  do  not  burn  your  hands." — A  dozen 
staves  fell  upon  the  deck  together. — "Is  there  a  drummer  in 
this  ship?  let  him  appear!" 

A  terrified  and  cringing-looking  being  presented  himself, 
having  found  his  instrument  by  a  sort  of  desperate  instinct. 

"  Now  speak,  aloud,  and  let  me  know  at  once  whether  I 
command  a  crew  of  orderly  and  obedient  men,  or  a  set  of 
miscreants  that  require  some  purifying  before  I  can  trust 
them." 

The  first  few  taps  of  the  drum  sufficed  to  tell  the  men  that 
it  was  the  "  beat  to  quarters."  Without  hesitating,  the 
crowd  dissolved,  and  each  of  the  delinquents  stole  silently 
to  his  station;  the  crew  of  the  gun  that  had  been  turned  in- 
ward managing  to  thrust  it  through  its  port  again,  with  a 
dexterity  that  might  have  availed  them  greatly  in  time  of 
combat.  Throughout  the  whole  affair,  the  Rover  manifested 
neither  anger  nor  impatience.  Deep  and  settled  scorn,  with 
a  high  reliance  on  himself,  had,  indeed,  been  exhibited  in 


32O  THE    RED  «ROVER. 

his  bearing,  but  not  for  an  instant  did  it  seem  that  he 
suffered  passion  to  get  the  mastery  of  reason.  And,  now 
that  he  had  recalled  his  crew  to  their  duty,  he  appeared  no 
more  elated  with  his  success  than  he  had  been  daunted  by 
the  storm  which,  a  minute  before,  had  threatened  the  disso- 
lution of  his  authority.  Instead  of  pursuing  his  further  pur- 
pose in  haste,  he  awaited  the  observance  of  the  minutest 
form  which  etiquette,  as  well  as  use,  had  rendered  custom- 
ary on  such  occasions. 

The  officers  approached  to  report  their  several  divisions 
in  readiness  to  engage,  with  exactly  the  same  regularity  as 
if  an  enemy  had  been  in  sight.  The  topmen  and  sail-trim- 
mers were  enumerated,  and  found  prepared;  shot-slugs  and 
stoppers  were  handled;  the  magazine  was  even  opened;  the 
arm-chests  were  emptied  of  their  contents;  and,  in  short, 
more  than  the  ordinary  preparation  of  an  every -day  exercise 
was  observed. 

"  Let  the  yards  be  slung ;  the  sheets  and  halyards  stop- 
pered," he  said  to  the  first  lieutenant,  who  now  displayed  as 
intimate  an  acquaintance  with  the  military  as  he  had  hith- 
erto discovered  with  the  nautical  part  of  his  profession. 
"Give  the  boarders  their  pikes  and  boarding-axes,  sir;  we 
will  show  these  fellows  that  we  dare  trust  them  with  arms!" 

The  orders  were  obeyed  to  the  letter ;  and  then  succeeded 
that  deep  and  grave  silence  which  renders  a  crew  at  quar- 
ters a  sight  so  imposing  even  to  those  who  have  witnessed  it 
from  boyhood.  In  this  manner,  the  skilful  leader  of  this 
band  of  desperate  marauders  knew  how  to  curb  their  vio- 
lence with  the  fetters  of  discipline.  When  he  believed  their 
minds  brought  within  the  proper  limits,  by  the  situation  of 
restraint  in  which  he  had  placed  them,  where  they  well  knew 
that  a  word,  or  even  an  offensive  look,  would  be  met  by  in- 
stant punishment,  he  walked  apart  with  Wilder,  of  whom  he 
demanded  an  explanation  of  what  had  passed. 

Whatever  might  have  been  the  natural  tendency  of  our 
adventurer  to  mercy,  he  had  not  been  educated  on  the  sea  to 


THE    RED    ROVER.  321 

look  with  lenity  on  the  crime  of  mutiny.  Had  his  recent 
escape  from  the  wreck  of  the  Bristol  trader  been  already 
banished  from  his  mind,  the  impressions  of  a  whole  life  still 
remained  to  teach  the  necessity  of  keeping  tight  those  cords 
which  experience  has  so  often  proved  are  absolutely  neces- 
sary to  quell  such  turbulent  bands,  when  removed  from  the 
pale  of  society,  the  influence  of  woman,  and  when  excited  by 
the  constant  collision  of  tempers  rudely  provoked  and 
equally  disposed  to  violence.  Though  he  "  set  down  naught 
in  malice,"  it  is  certain  that  he  did  "nothing  extenuate,"  in 
the  account  he  rendered.  The  whole  of  the  facts  were  laid 
before  the  Rover,  in  the  direct,  unvarnished  language  of 
truth. 

"  One  cannot  keep  these  fellows  to  their  duty  by  preach- 
ing," returned  the  irregular  chief,  when  the  other  had  done. 
"We  have  no  'Execution  Dock'  for  our  delinquents,  no  'yel- 
low flag'  for  fleets  to  gaze  at,  no  grave  and  wise-looking 
courts  to  thumb  a  book  or  two,  and  end  by  saying,  'Hang 
him.' — The  rascals  knew  my  eye  was  off  them.  Once  be- 
fore, they  turned  my  vessel  into  a  living  evidence  of  that 
passage  in  the  Testament  which  teaches  humility  to  all,  by 
telling  us  'that  the  last  shall  be  first,  and  the  first  last.'  I 
found  a  dozen  roundabouts  drinking  and  making  free  with 
the  liquors  of  the  cabin,  and  all  the  officers  prisoners  for- 
ward— a  state  of  things,  as  you  will  allow,  a  little  subver- 
sive of  decency  as  well  as  decorum!" 

"  I  am  amazed  you  should  have  succeeded  in  restoring 
discipline!" 

"  I  got  among  them  single-handed,  and  with  no  other  aid 
than  a  boat  from  the  shore ;  but  I  ask  no  more  than  a  place 
for  my  foot,  and  room  for  an  arm,  to  keep  a  thousand  such 
spirits  in  order.  Now  they  know  me,  it  is  rare  we  misun- 
derstand each  other." 

"You  must  have  punished  severely!" 

u  There  was  justice  done. — Mr.  Wilder,  I  fear  you  find 
our  service  a  little  irregular;  but  a  month  of  experience  will 

21 


322  THE    RED    ROVER. 

put  you  on  a  level  with  us,  and  remove  all  danger  of  such 
another  scene."  As  the  Rover  spoke,  he  faced  his  recruit 
with  a  countenance  that  endeavored  to  be  cheerful,  but 
whose  gayety  could  force  itself  no  further  than  a  frightful 
smile.  "Come,"  he  quickly  added,  "this  time  I  set  the 
mischief  afoot  myself;  and  as  we  are  completely  masters, 
we  may  afford  to  be  lenient.  Besides,"  glancing  his  eyes 
towards  the  place  where  Mrs.  Wyllys  and  Gertrude  still  re- 
mained in  deep  suspense,  awaiting  his  decision,  "  it  may  be 
well  to  consult  the  sex  of  our  guests  at  such  a  moment." 

Then,  leaving  his  subordinate,  the  Rover  advanced  to  the 
centre  of  the  quarter-deck,  whither  he  immediately  sum- 
moned the  principal  offenders.  The  men  listened  to  his  re- 
bukes, which  were  not  altogether  free  from  admonitory  warn- 
ings of  what  might  be  the  consequences  of  a  similar  trans- 
gression, like  creatures  who  stood  in  presence  of  a  being  of 
a  nature  superior  to  their  own.  Though  he  spoke  in  his 
usual  quiet  tone,  the  lowest  of  his  syllables  went  into  the 
ears  of  the  most  distant  of  the  crew;  and,  when  his  brief 
lesson  was  ended,  the  men  stood  before  him,  not  only  like 
delinquents  who  had  been  reproved  though  pardoned,  but 
with  the  air  of  criminals  who  were  as  much  condemned  by 
their  own  consciousness  as  by  the  general  voice.  Among 
them  all  was  only  one  seaman  who,  perhaps  from  past  ser- 
vice, was  emboldened  to  venture  a  syllable  in  his  own  justi- 
fication. 

"  As  for  the  matter  with  the  marines,"  he  said,  "  your 
honor  knows  there  is  little  love  between  us,  though  I  allow 
that  a  quarter-deck  is  no  place  to  settle  our  begrudgings ; 
but,  as  to  the  gentleman  who  has  seen  fit  to  step  into  the 
shoes  of " 

"  It  is  my  pleasure  that  he  should  remain  there,"  inter- 
rupted his  commander.  "  Of  his  merit  I  alone  am  judge." 

"Well,  well,  since  it  is  your  pleasure,  sir,  why,  no  man 
may  dispute  it.  But  no  account  has  been  rendered  of  the 
Bristol-man,  and  great  expectations  were  had  aboard  here 


THE   RED    ROVER.  323 

from  that  very  ship.  Your  honor  is  a  reasonable  gentleman, 
and  will  not  be  surprised  that  the  people  who  were  on  the 
lookout  for  an  outward-bound  West-Indiaman  should  be  un- 
willing to  take  up  with  a  battered  and  empty  launch,  in  her 
stead." 

"  Ay,  sir,  if  I  will  it,  you  shall  take  an  oar,  a  tiller,  a 
thole  for  your  portion.  No  more  of  this!  You  saw  the  con- 
dition of  his  ship  with  your  owji  eyes;  and  where  is  the 
seaman  who  has  not,  on  some  evil  day,  been  compelled  to 
admit  that  his  art  is  nothing,  when  the  elements  are  against 
him?  Who  saved  this  ship,  in  the  very  gust  that  has  robbed 
us  of  our  prize?  Was  it  your  skill?  or  was  it  that  of  a  man 
who  has  often  done  it  before,  and  who  may  one  day  leave 
you  to  your  ignorance  to  manage  your  own  interests?  It  is 
enough  that  I  believe  him  faithful.  There  is  no  time  to 
convince  your  dulness  of  the  propriety  of  all  that's  done. 
Away,  and  send  me  the  two  men  who  so  nobly  stepped  be- 
tween their  officer  and  mutiny." 

Then  came  Fid,  followed  by  the  negro,  rolling  along  the 
deck,  and  thumbing  his  hat  with  one  hand,  while  the  other 
sought  an  awkward  retreat  in  a  certain  part  of  his  vest- 
ments. 

"You  have  done  well,  my  lad;  you  and  your  mess- 
mate  " 

"  No  messmate,  your  honor,  seeing  that  he  is  a  nigger," 
interrupted  Fid.  "  The  chap  messes  with  the  other  blacks, 
but  we  take  a  pull  at  the  can,  now  and  then,  in  company." 

'*  Your  friend,  then,  if  your  prefer  that  term." 

"  Ay,  ay,  sir;  we  are  friendly  enough  at  odd  times,  though 
a  breeze  often  springs  up  between  us.  Guinea  has  a  d — d 
awkward  fashion  of  luffing  up  in  his  talk;  and  your  honor 
knows  it  isn't  always  comfortable  to  a  white  man  to  be  driven 
to  leeward  by  a  black.  I  tell  him  it  is  inconvenient.  He 
is  a  good  enough  fellow  in  the  main,  howsomever,  sir;  and 
as  he  is  just  an  African  bred  and  born,  I  hope  you'll  be 
good  enough  to  overlook  his  little  failings." 


324  THE    RED    ROVER. 

"Were  I  otherwise  disposed,"  returned  the  Rover,  "his 
steadiness  and  activity  to-day  would  plead  in  his  favor." 

"Yes,  yes,  sir,  he  is  somewhat  steady,  which  is  more  than 
I  can  always  say  in  my  own  behalf.  Then,  as  for  seaman- 
ship, there  are  few  men  who  are  his  betters;  I  wish  your 
honor  would  take  the  trouble  to  walk  forward,  and  look  at 
the  heart  he  turned  into  the  mainstay,  no  later  than  the  last 
calm ;  it  takes  the  strain  as  easy  as  a  small  sin  sits  upon  a 
rich  man's  conscience." 

"I  am  satisfied  with  your  description:  you  call  him 
Guinea?" 

"  Call  him  by  anything  along  that  coast;  for  he  is  no  way 
particular,  seeing  he  was  never  christened,  and  knows  noth- 
ing at  all  of  the  bearings  and  distances  of  religion.  His 
lawful  name  is  S'ip,  or  Shipio  Africa,  taken,  as  I  suppose, 
from  the  circumstance  that  he  was  first  shipped  from  that 
quarter  of  the  world.  But  as  respects  names,  the  fellow  is 
as  meek  as  a  lamb;  you  may  call  him  anything,  provided 
you  don't  call  him  too  late  to  his  grog." 

All  this  time,  the  African  stood  rolling  his  large  dark 
eyes  in  every  direction  except  towards  the  speakers,  perfectly 
content  that  his  long-tried  shipmate  should  serve  as  his  in- 
terpreter. The  spirit  which  had  so  recently  been  awakened 
in  the  Rover  seemed  already  to  be  subsiding;  for  the  frown 
which  had  gathered  on  his  brow  was  dissipating  in  a  look 
which  bore  rather  the  character  of  curiosity  than  of  any 
fiercer  emotion. 

"You  have  sailed  long  in  company,  my  lads,"  he  care- 
lessly continued,  addressing  his  words  to  neither  in  par- 
ticular. 

"  Full   and  by,  in  many  a  gale,  and  many  a  calm,  your 

'honor.     'Tis  four-and-twerity  years  the  last  equinox.  Guinea, 

since  Master  Harry  fell   athwart  our  hawse;  and  then  we 

had  been  together  three  years  in  the  Thunderer,  besides  the 

run  we  made  round  the  Horn  in  the  Bay  privateer." 

"Ah!    you  have   been  four-and-twenty  years    with    Mr. 


THE   RED    ROVER  32$ 

Wilder.     It  is  not  so  remarkable  that  you  should  set  a  value 
on  his  life." 

"  I  should  as  soon  think  of  setting  a  price  on  the  king's 
crown!"  interrupted  the  straight-going  seaman.  "I  over- 
heard the  lads,  d'ye  see,  sir,  just  plotting  to  throw  the  three 
of  us  overboard,  and  so  we  thought  it  time  to  say  something 
in  our  own  favor;  and,  words  not  always  being  at  hand,  the 
black  saw  fit  to  fill  up  the  time  with  something  that  might 
answer  the  turn  quite  as  well.  No,  no,  he  is  no  great  talker, 
that  Guinea;  nor,  for  that  matter,  can  I  say  much  in  my 
own  favor,  in  this  particular;  but  seeing  that  we  clapped  a 
stopper  on  their  movements,  your  honor  will  allow  that  we 
did  as  well  as  if  we  had  spoken  as  smartly  as  a  young  mid- 
shipman fresh  from  college,  who  is  always  for  hailing  a  top 
in  Latin,  you  know,  sir,  for  want  of  understanding  the 
proper  language." 

The  Rover  smiled,  and  he  glanced  his  eye  aside,  appar- 
ently in  quest  of  our  adventurer.  Not  seeing  him  at  hand, 
he  was  tempted  to  push  his  inquiries  a  little  further,  though 
too  much  governed  by  self-respect  to  let  the  intense  curios- 
ity by  which  he  was  influenced  escape  him  in  any  direct 
and  manifest  interrogation.  But  an  instant's  recollection 
recalled  him  to  himself,  and  he  discarded  the  idea  as  un- 
worthy of  his  character. 

"  Your  services  shall  not  be  forgotten.  Here  is  gold," 
he  said,  offering  a  handful  of  the  metal  to  the  negro,  as  the 
one  nearest  his  own  person.  "You  will  divide  it,  like  hon- 
est shipmates;  and  you  may  ever  rely  on  my  protection." 

Scipio  drew  back,  and  with  a  motion  of  his  elbow,  re- 
plied: 

"  His  honor  will  give  'em  Masser  Harry." 

"Your  Master  Harry  has  enough  of  his  own,  lad;  he  has 
no  need  of  money." 

"  S'ip  no  need  'em  eider." 

"  You  will  please  to  overlook  the  fellow's  manners,  sir," 
said  Fid,  very  coolly  interposing  his  own  hand,  and  deliber- 


326  THE    RED    ROVER. 

ately  pocketing  the  offering;  "but  I  needn't  tell  as  old  a 
seaman  as  your  honor,  that  Guinea  is  no  country  to  scrape 
down  the  seams  of  a  man's  behavior  in.  Howsomever,  I 
can  say  this  much  for  him,  which  is,  that  he  thanks  your 
honor  just  as  heartily  as  if  you  had  given  him  twice  the  sum. 
Make  a  bow  to  his  honor,  boy,  and  do  some  credit  to  the 
company  you  have  kept.  And  now,  since  this  little  diffi- 
culty about  the  money  is  gotten  over,  by  my  presence  of 
mind,  with  your  honor's  leave,  I'll  just  step  aloft,  and  cast 
loose  the  lashings  of  that  bit  of  a  tailor  on  the  larboard 
fore  yard-arm.  The  chap  was  never  made  for  a  topman,  as 
you  may  see,  sir,  by  the  fashion  in  which  he  crosses  his 
lower  stanchions.  That  fellow  will  make  a  carrick  bend 
with  his  legs  as  easily  as  I  could  do  the  same  with  a  yarn 
of  white  line!" 

The  Rover  signed  for  him  to  retire;  and,  turning  where 
he  stood,  he  found  himself  confronted  by  Wilder.  The  eyes 
of  the  confederates  met ;  and  a  slight  color  bespoke  the  con- 
sciousness of  the  former.  Regaining  his  self-possession  on 
the  instant,  however,  he  smilingly  alluded  to  the  character 
of  Fid;  and  then  he  directed  his  lieutenant  to  have  the  "  re- 
treat from  quarters"  beat. 

The  guns  were  secured,  the  stoppers  loosened,  the  maga- 
zine closed,  the  ports  lashed,  and  the  crew  withdrew  to  their 
several  duties,  like  men  whose  violence  had  been  com- 
pletely subdued  by  the  triumphant  influence  of  a  master 
spirit.  The  Rover  then  disappeared  from  the  deck,  which, 
for  a  time,  was  left  to  the  care  of  an  officer  of  the  proper 
rank. 


THE   RED    ROVER.  32? 


CHAPTER   XXI. 

THIEF.    *Tis  in  the  malice  of  mankind,  that  he  thus  advises   us  ;   not  to  have  us 
thrive  in  our  mystery. —  Timon  of  Athens. 

THROUGHOUT  the  whole  of  that  day,  no  change  occurred  in 
the  weather.  The  sleeping  ocean  lay  like  a  waving  and 
glittering  mirror,  smooth  and  polished  on  its  surface,  though, 
as  usual,  the  long  rising  and  swelling  of  a  heavy  ground- 
swell  announced  the  commotion  that  was  in  action  at  a  dis- 
tant place.  From  the  time  that  he  left  the  deck  until  the 
sun  laved  its  burnished  orb  in  the  sea,  the  Rover  was  seen 
no  more.  Satisfied  with  his  victory,  he  no  longer  seemed 
to  apprehend  that  it  was  possible  any  should  be  bold  enough 
to  plot  the  overthrow  of  his  power.  This  apparent  confi- 
dence in  himself  did  not  fail  to  impress  his  people  favora- 
bly. As  no  neglect  of  duty  was  overlooked,  nor  any  offence 
left  to  go  unpunished,  an  eye  that  was  not  seen  was  believed 
to  be  ever  on  them,  and  an  invisible  hand  was  thought  to  be 
at  all  times  uplifted,  ready  to  strike  or  to  reward.  It  was 
by  a  similar  system  of  energy  in  moments  of  need,  and  of 
forbearance  when  authority  was  irksome,  that  this  extraor- 
dinary man  had  so  long  succeeded,  not  only  in  keeping 
down  domestic  treason,  but  in  eluding  the  address  and  in- 
dustry of  more  open  enemies. 

When  the  watch  was  set  for  the  night,  however,  and  the 
ship  lay  in  profound  silence,  the  Rover  was  again  seen  walk- 
ing swiftly  to  and  fro  across  the  poop,  of  which  he  was  now 
the  solitary  occupant.  The  vessel  had  drifted  in  the  Gulf 
stream  so  far  to  the  northward  that  the  little  mound  of  blue 
had  long  sunk  below  the  edge  of  the  ocean ;  and  she  was 
again  surrounded,  far  as  human  eye  might  see,  by  an  inter- 
minable world  of  water.  As  not  a  breath  of  air  was  stirring, 
the  sails  had  been  handed,  the  naked  spars  rearing  them- 
selves, in  the  gloom  of  the  evening,  like  those  of  a  ship  at 


328  THE  RED  ROVER. 

anchor.  In  short,  it  was  one  of  those  hours  of  entire  repose 
that  the  elements  occasionally  grant  to  such  adventurers  as 
trust  their  fortunes  to  the  capricious  and  treacherous  winds. 

Even  the  men  whose  duty  it  was  to  be  on  the  alert  were 
emboldened  by  the  general  tranquillity  to  become  careless 
on  their  watch,  and  to  cast  their  persons  between  the  guns, 
or  on  different  portions  of  the  vessel,  seeking  that  rest  which 
the  forms  of  discipline  and  good  order  prohibited  them  from 
enjoying  in  their  hammocks.  Here  and  there,  indeed,  the 
head  of  a  drowsy  officer  was  seen  nodding  with  the  lazy 
heaving  of  the  ship,  as  he  leaned  against  the  bulwarks,  or 
rested  his  person  on  the  carriage  of  some  gun  that  was 
placed  beyond  the  sacred  limits  of  the  quarter-deck.  One 
form  alone  was  erect  and  vigilant,  maintaining  a  watchful 
eye  over  the  whole.  This  was  Wilder,  whose  turn  it  was 
again  to  keep  the  deck. 

For  two  hours  not  the  slightest  communication  occurred 
between  the  Rover  and  his  lieutenant.  Both  rather  avoided 
than  sought  the  intercourse;  for  each  had  his  own  secret 
sources  of  meditation.  After  the  long  and  unusual  silence, 
the  former  stopped  short  in  his  walk,  and  looked  steadily  on 
the  still  motionless  figure  on  the  deck  beneath  him. 

"Mr.  Wilder,"  he  at  length  said,  "the  air  is  fresher  on 
this  poop,  and  more  free  from  the  impurities  of  the  vessel. 
Will  you  ascend?" 

The  other  complied;  and  they  walked  silently,  and  with 
even  steps  together,  as  seamen  are  wont  to  pace  the  deck  in 
the  hours  of  night. 

"We  had  a  troublesome  morning,  Wilder,"  the  Rover  re- 
sumed, unconsciously  betraying  the  subject  of  his  thoughts, 
and  speaking  always  in  a  voice  so  guarded  that  no  ears  but 
those  of  his  new  lieutenant  could  hear  him:  "were  you  ever 
so  near  that  pretty  precipice,  a  mutiny,  before?" 

"The  man  who  is   hit  is  nigher  to  danger  than  he  who 
feels  the  wind  of  the  ball." 
,    "Ah!  you  have  then  been  bearded  in  your  ship!      Gi\e 


THE   RED    ROVER.  329 

yourself  no  uneasiness  on  account  of  the  personal  animosity 
which  a  few  of  the  fellows  saw  fit  to  manifest  against  your- 
self. I  am  acquainted  with  their  most  secret  thoughts,  as 
you  shall  shortly  know." 

"  I  confess  that,  in  your  place,  I  should  sleep  on  a  thorny 
pillow,  with  such  evidences  of  the  temper  of  my  men  before 
my  mind.  A  few  hours  of  disorder  might  deliver  the  vessel, 
on  any  day,  into  the  hands  of  the  government,  and  your  own 
life  to " 

"The  executioner!  And  why  not  yours?"  demanded  the 
Rover  so  quickly  as  to  give,  in  a  slight  degree,  an  air  of 
distrust  to  his  manner.  "  But  the  eye  that  has  often  seen 
battles  seldom  winks.  Mine  has  too  often  and  too  steadily 
looked  danger  in  the  face,  to  be  alarmed  at  the  sight  of  a 
king's  pennant.  Besides,  it  is  not  usual  for  us  to  be  on  this 
ticklish  coast;  the  islands  and  the  Spanish  Main  are  less 
dangerous  cruising  grounds." 

"  And  yet  have  you  ventured  here  at  a  time  when  success 
against  the  enemy  has  given  the  admiral  leisure  to  employ 
a  powerful  force  in  your  pursuit." 

"  I  had  a  reason  for  it.  It  is  not  always  easy  to  separate 
the  commander  from  the  man.  If  I  have  temporarily  for- 
gotten the  obligations  of  the  former  in  the  wishes  of  the  lat- 
ter, so  far,  at  least,  no  harm  has  come  of  it.  I  may  have 
tired  of  chasing  your  indolent  Don,  and  of  driving  guarda 
costas  into  port.  This  life  of  ours  is  full  of  excitement, 
which  I  love;  to  me  there  is  interest  even  in  a  mutiny!" 

"I  like  not  treason.  In  this  particular,  I  confess  myself 
like  the  boor  who  loses  his  resolution  in  the  dark.  While 
the  enemy  is  in  view,  I  hope  you  will  find  me  true  as  other 
men ;  but  sleeping  over  a  mine  is  not  an  amusement  to  my 
taste." 

"  So  much  for  want  of  practice!  Hazard  is  hazard,  come 
in  what  shape  it  may;  and  the  human  mind  can  as  readily 
be  taught  to  be  indifferent  to  secret  machinations  as  to  open 
risk.  Hush!  Struck  the  bell  six  or  seven?" 


336  THE   RED   ROVER. 

"  Seven.  You  see  the  men  slumber,  as  before.  Instinct 
would  wake  them,  were  their  hour  at  hand." 

"  'Tis  well.  I  feared  the  time  had  passed.  Yes,  Wilder, 
I  love  suspense;  it  keeps  the  faculties  from  dying,  and 
throws  a  man  upon  the  better  principles  of  his  nature.  Per- 
haps I  owe  it  to  a  wayward  spirit,  but,  to  me,  there  is  some- 
times enjoyment  in  an  adverse  wind." 

"And  in  a  calm?" 

"  Calms  may  have  their  charms  for  your  quiet  spirits;  but 
in  them  there  is  nothing  to  be  overcome.  One  cannot  stir 
the  elements,  though  one  may  counteract  their  workings." 

"  You  have  not  entered  on  this  trade  of  yours " 

"Yours!" 

"  I  might,  now,  have  said  'of  ours/  since  I,  too,  have  be- 
come a  rover." 

"You  are  still  in  your  noviciate,"  resumed  the  other, 
whose  quick  mind  had  already  passed  the  point  at  which 
the  conversation  had  arrived ;  "  and  high  enjoyment  had  I 
in  being  the  one  who  shrived  you  in  your  wishes.  You 
manifested  a  skill  in  playing  round  your  subject  without 
touching  it,  which  gives  me  hope  of  an  apt  scholar." 

"  But  no  penitent,  I  trust." 

"That  as  it  may  be;  we  are  all  liable  to  have  our  mo- 
ments of  weakness,  when  we  look  on  life  as  book-men  paint 
it,  and  think  of  being  probationers  where  we  are  put  to  en- 
joy. I  angled  for  you  as  the  fisherman  plays  with  the  trout. 
Nor  did  I  overlook  the  danger  of  deception.  You  were  faith- 
ful on  the  whole,  though  I  protest  against  your  ever  again 
acting  so  much  against  my  interests  as  to  intrigue  to  keep 
the  game  from  coming  to  my  net." 

"When,  and  how,  have  I  done  this?  You  have  yourself 
admitted " 

"That  the  Royal  Caroline  was  prettily  handled,  and 
wrecked  by  the  will  of  Heaven ;  I  speak  of  nobler  quarries, 
now,  than  such  as  any  hawk  may  fly  at.  Are  you  a  woman- 
hater,  that  you  would  fain  frighten  the  noble-minded  woman 


THE    RED    ROVER.  331 

and  the  sweet  girl,  who  are  beneath  our  feet  at  this  moment, 
from  enjoying  the  high  privilege  of  your  company?" 

"  Was  it  treacherous  to  wish  to  save  a  woman  from  a  fate 
like  that,  for  instance,  which  hung  over  them  both  this  very 
day?  For,  while  your  authority  exists  in  this  ship,  I  do  not 
think  there  can  be  danger,  even  to  her  who  is  so  lovely." 

"  By  heavens,  Wilder,  you  do  me  no  more  than  justice. 
Before  harm  should  corne  to  that  fair  innocent,  with  this 
hand  would  I  put  the  match  into  the  magazine,  and  send 
her,  all  spotless  as  she  is,  to  the  place  from  which  she  seems 
to  have  fallen." 

Our  adventurer  listened  greedily  to  these  words,  though 
he  little  liked  the  strong  language  of  admiration  with  which 
the  Rover  was  pleased  to  clothe  his  generous  sentiment. 

"  How  did  you  know  of  my  wish  to  serve  them?"  he  de- 
manded, after  a  pause,  which  neither  seemed  in  any  hurry 
to  break. 

"Could  I  mistake  your  language?  I  thought  it  plain 
enough  when  I  heard  it." 

"  Heard !  My  confession  was  then  made  when  I  least  be- 
lieved it." 

The  Rover  did  not  answer;  but  his  companion  now  un- 
derstood, from  his  smile,  that  he  had  been  the  dupe  of  an 
audacious  and  completely  successful  masquerade,  and  that 
in  the  old  seaman,  Bob  Bunt,  he  had  in  truth  been  commun- 
ing with  his  commander  in  person.  The  deportment  of  Jo- 
ram  and  the  unaccountable  disappearance  of  the  skiff  were 
now  completely  explained.  Startled  at  discovering  how 
intricate  were  the  toils  into  which  he  had  rushed,  and  possi- 
bly vexed  at  being  so  thoroughly  overreached,  he  made  sev- 
eral turns  across  the  deck  without  speaking. 

"  I  confess  myself  deceived,"  he  at  length  said,  "  and 
henceforth  I  shall  submit  to  you  as  a  master  from  whom  one 
may  learn,  but  who  can  never  be  surpassed.  The  landlord 
of  the  Foul  Anchor,  at  least,  acted  in  his  proper  person, 
whoever  might  have  been  the  aged  seaman !" 


332  THE    RED    ROVER. 

"  Honest  Joe  Joram !  An  useful  man  to  a  distressed  mar- 
iner, you  must  allow.  How  did  you  like  the  Newport  pilot?" 

"Was  he  an  agent,  too?" 

"  For  the  job  merely.  I  trust  such  knaves  no  further  than 
their  own  eyes  can  see.  But,  hist!  Heard  you  nothing?" 

"  I  thought  a  rope  had  fallen  into  the  water." 

"Ay,  it  is  so.  Now  you  shall  find  how  thoroughly  I  over- 
look these  turbulent  gentlemen." 

The  Rover  then  cut  short  the  dialogue,  which  was  grow- 
ing deeply  interesting  to  his  companion,  and  moved  with  a 
light  step  to  the  stern,  over  which  he  hung,  for  a  few  mo- 
ments, by  himself,  like  a  man  who  found  a  pleasure  in  gaz- 
ing at  the  surface  of  the  sea.  But  a  slight  noise,  like  that 
produced  by  agitated  ropes,  caught  the  ear  of  his  companion, 
who  placed  himself  at  the  side  of  his  commander,  where  he 
did  not  wait  long  without  gaining  another  proof  of  the  man- 
ner in  which  he,  as  well  as  all  the  rest  of  the  crew,  were 
circumvented  by  the  devices  of  their  leader. 

A  man  was  guardedly,  and,  from  his  situation,  with  some 
difficulty,  moving  round  the  quarter  of  the  ship,  by  the  aid 
of  the  ropes  and  mouldings,  which  afforded  him  sufficient 
means  to  effect  his  object.  He  soon  reached  a  stern-ladder, 
where  he  stood  suspended,  endeavoring  to  discern  which  of 
the  two  forms  that  were  overlooking  his  proceedings  was 
that  of  the  individual  he  sought. 

"Are  you  there,  Davis?"  said  the  Rover,  in  a  voice  but 
little  above  a  whisper,  first  laying  his  hand  lightly  on 
Wilder,  as  if  he  would  tell  him  to  attend.  "  I  fear  you  have 
been  seen  or  heard." 

"  No  fear  of  that,  your  honor.  I  got  out  at  the  port  by 
the  cabin  bulkhead ;  the  afterguard  are  all  as  sound  asleep 
as  if  they  had  the  watch  below." 

"It  is  well.     What  news  do  you  bring  from  the  people?" 

"  Lord !  your  honor  may  tell  them  to  go  to  church,  and 
the  stoutest  sea-dog  of  them  all  wouldn't  dare  to  say  he  had 
forgotten  his  prayers." 


THE    RED    ROVER.  333 

"You  think  them  in  a  better  temper  than  they  were?" 

"I  know  it,  sir.  .  Not  but  what  the  will  to  work  mischief 
is  to  be  found  in  two  or  three  of  the  men ;  but  they  dare  not 
trust  each  other.  Your  honor  has  such  winning  ways  with 
you,  that  one  never  knows  when  he  is  on  safe  grounds  in 
setting  up  to  be  master." 

"This  is  ever  the  way  with  your  disorganizes,"  muttered 
the  Rover,  just  loud  enough  to  be  heard  by  Wilder.  "  A 
little  more  honesty  might  make  them  dangerous;  as  it  is, 
their  knavery  defeats  itself.  And  how  did  these  fellows  re- 
ceive the  lenity?  Did  I  well?  or  must  there  yet  be  punish- 
ment?" 

"  It  is  better  as  it  stands,  sir.  The  people  know  you  have 
a  good  memory,  and  they  talk  already  of  the  danger  of  add- 
ing another  reckoning  to  this  they  feel  certain  you  have  not 
forgotten.  There  is  the  captain  of  the  forecastle,  who  is  a 
little  bitter  as  usual,  and  the  more  so,  just  now,  on  account 
of  the  knock-down  blow  he  got  from  the  black." 

"  He  is  a  troublesome  rascal ;  a  settling  day  must  come  at 
last  between  us." 

"  It  will  be  easy  to  expend  him  in  boat-service,  sir,  and 
the  ship's  company  will  be  all  the  better  for  his  ab- 
sence." 

"Well,  well;  no  more  of  him,"  interrupted  the  Rover  a 
little  impatiently,  as  if  he  liked  not  that  his  companion 
should  look  too  deeply  into  the  policy  of  his  government,  so 
early  in  his  initiation.  "  I  will  see  to  him.  If  I  mistake 
not,  fellow,  you  overacted  your  own  part  to-day,  and  were  a 
little  too  forward  in  leading  on  the  trouble." 

"  I  hope  your  honor  will  remember  that  the  crew  had  been 
piped  to  mischief;  besides,  there  could  be  no  great  harm  in 
washing  the  powder  off  a  few  marines." 

"  Ay,  but  you  pressed  the  point  after  your  officer  had  seen 
fit  to  interfere.  Be  wary  in  future,  lest  you  make  the  acting 
too  true  to  nature,  and  get  applauded  in  a  manner  quite  as 
natural," 


334  fHE    RED    ROVER. 

The  fellow  promised  caution  and  amendment;  and  then 
he  was  dismissed  with  his  reward  in  gold,  and  an  injunc- 
tion to  be  secret  in  his  return.  So  soon  as  the  interview 
was  ended,  the  Rover  and  Wilder  resumed  their  walk;  the 
former  having  made  sure  that  no  eavesdropper  was  at  hand 
to  pry  into  the  secret  of  his  connection  with  the  spy.  The 
silence  was  again  long  and  thoughtful. 

"Good  ears"  (recommenced  the  Rover)  "are  nearly  as 
important,  in  a  ship  like  this,  as  a  stout  heart.  The  rogues 
forward  must  not  be  permitted  to  eat  of  the  fruit  of  knowl- 
edge, lest  we,  who  are  in  the  cabins,  die." 

"  This  is  a  perilous  service  in  which  we  are  embarked," 
observed  his  companion,  involuntarily  exposing  his  real 
thoughts. 

The  Rover  made  many  turns  across  the  deck,  before  he 
answered.  When  he  spoke,  it  was  in  a  voice  so  bland  and 
gentle,  that  his  wordsv  sounded  more  like  the  admonitory 
tones  of  a  considerate  friend,  than  like  the  language  of  a 
man  who  had  long  been  associated  with  a  set  of  beings  so 
rude  and  unprincipled  as  those  whom  he  commanded. 

"  You  are  still  on  the  threshold  of  life,  Mr.  Wilder,"  he 
said,  "and  it  is  all  before  you  to  choose  the  path  on  which 
you  will  go.  As  yet,  you  have  been  present  at  no  violation 
of  what  the  world  calls  its  laws;  nor  is  it  too  late  to  say  you 
never  will  be.  I  may  have  been  selfish  in  my  wish  to  gain 
you;  but  try  me,  and  you  will  find  that  self,  though  often 
active,  cannot,  or  does  not,  long  hold  its  dominion  over  my 
mind.  Say  but  the  word,  and  you  are  free ;  it  is  easy  to 
destroy  the  little  evidence  which  exists  of  your  having  made 
one  of  my  crew.  The  land  is  not  far  beyond  that  streak  of 
fading  light;  before  to-morrow's  sun  shall  set  your  foot 
may  be  on  it." 

"  Then,  why  not  both?  If  this  irregular  life  be  not  fit  for 
me,  it  is  unfit  for  you.  Could  I  hope — 

"  What  would  you  say?"  calmly  demanded  the  Rover,  after 
waiting  sufficiently  long  to  be  sure  his  companion  hesitated 


THE    RED    ROVER,  335 

to  continue.  "  Speak  freely ;  your  words  are  for  the  ears  of 
a  friend." 

"  Then,  as  a  friend  will  I  unbosom  myself.  You  say  the 
land  is  here  in  the  west.  It  would  be  easy  for  you  and  me, 
men  nurtured  on  the  sea,  to  lower  this  boat  into  the  water ; 
and,  profiting  by  the  darkness,  long  ere  our  absence  could 
ba  known,  we  should  be  lost  to  the  eye  of  any  who  might 
seek  us." 

"Whither  would  you  steer?" 

"  To  the  shores  of  America,  where  shelter  and  peace  might 
be  found  in  a  thousand  secret  places." 

"  Would  you  have  a  man,  who  has  so  long  lived  a  prince 
among  his  followers,  become  a  beggar  in  a  land  of  stran- 
gers?" 

"  But  you  have  gold.  Are  we  not  masters  here  ?  Who  is 
there  that  might  dare  even  to  watch  our  movements,  until 
we  were  pleased  ourselves  to  throw  off  the  authority  with 
which  we  are  clothed?  Ere  the  middle  watch  was  set,  all 
might  be  done." 

"Alone!     Would  you  go  alone?" 

"  No — not  entirely — that  is — it  would  scarcely  become 
us,  as  men,  to  desert  the  females  to  the  brutal  power  of 
those  we  should  leave  behind." 

"  And  would  it  become  us,  as  men,  to  desert  those  who 
put  faith  in  our  fidelity?  Mr.  Wilder,  your  proposal  would 
make  me  a  villain !  Lawless,  in  the  opinion  of  the  world, 
have  I  long  been;  but  a  traitor  to  my  faith  and  plighted 
word,  never !  The  hour  may  come  when  the  beings  whose 
world  is  in  this  ship  shall  part;  but  the  separation  must  be 
open,  voluntary,  and  manly.  You  never  knew  what  drew 
me  into  the  haunts  of  man,  when  we  first  met  in  the  town  of 
Boston?" 

"  Never,"  returned  Wilder,  in  a  tone  of  deep  disappoint- 
ment; for  hope  had  caused  his  very  heart  to  beat  quicker. 

"  You  shall  hear.  A  sturdy  follower  had  fallen  into  the 
hands  of  the  minions  of  the  law.  It  was  necessary  to  save 


336  THE    RED    ROVER. 

him.  He  was  a  man  I  little  loved,  but  he  was  one  who  had 
been  honest,  after  his  own  opinions.  I  could  not  desert  the 
victim ;  nor  could  any  but  I  effect  his  escape.  Gold  and 
artifice  succeeded ;  the  fellow  is  now  here  to  sing  the  praises 
of  his  commander  to  the  crew.  Could  I  forfeit  a  good  name, 
obtained  at  so  much  hazard?" 

"  You  would  forfeit  the  good  opinions  of  knaves,  to  gain 
a  reputation  among  those  whose  commendations  are  an 
honor." 

"  I  know  not.  You  little  understand  the  nature  of  man, 
if  you  are  now  to  learn  that  he  has  pride  in  maintaining  a 
reputation  even  for  vice,  when  he  has  once  purchased  noto- 
riety by  its  exhibition.  Besides,  I  am  not  fitted  for  the 
world,  as  it  is  found  among  your  dependent  colonists." 

"  You  claim  your  birth,  perhaps,  from  the  mother-coun- 
try?" 

"  I  am  no  better  than  a  poor  provincial,  sir ;  a  humble 
satellite  of  the  mighty  sun.  You  have  seen  my  flags,  Mr. 
Wilder:  but  there  was  one  wanting  among  them  all;  ay, 
and  one  which,  had  it  existed,  it  would  have  been  my 
pride,  my  glory,  to  have  upheld  with  my  heart's  best 
blood!" 
*  "  I  know  not  what  you  mean." 

"  I  need  not  tell  a  seaman  like  you,  how  many  noble 
rivers  pour  their  waters  into  the  sea  along  this  coast  of 
which  we  have  been  speaking — how  many  wide  and  com- 
modious havens  abound  there — or  how  many  sails  whiten 
the  ocean,  that  are  manned  by  men  who  first  drew  breath  on 
that  spacious  and  peaceful  soil?" 

"  Surely  I  know  the  advantages  of  my  native  country." 

"  I  fear  not,"  quickly  returned  the  Rover.  "  Were  they 
known  as  they  should  be,  by  you  and  others  like  you,  the 
flag  I  mentioned  would  soon  be  found  in  every  sea;  nor 
would  the  natives  of  our  country  have  to  succumb  to  the 
hirelings  of  a  foreign  prince." 

**1  will  not  affect  to  misunderstand  your  meaning;  for  I 


THE    RED    ROVER.  337 

have  known  others  as  visionary  as  yourself  in  fancying  that 
such  an  event  may  arrive." 

"  May ! — As  certain  as  that  star  will  set  in  the  ocean,  or 
that  day  is  to  succeed  to  night,  it  must.  Had  that  flag  been 
abroad,  Mr.  Wilder,  no  man  would  have  ever  heard  the 
name  of  the  Red  Rover." 

"The  king  has  a  service  of  his -own,  and  it  is  open  to  all 
his  subjects  alike." 

"  I  could  be  a  subject  of  a  king;  but  to  be  the  subject  of 
a  subject,  Wilder,  exceeds  the  bounds  of  my  poor  patience. 
I  was  educated,  I  might  almost  have  said  born,  in  one  of 
his  vessels;  arid  how  often  have  I  been  made  to  feel,  in 
bitterness,  that  an  ocean  separated  my  birthplace  from  the 
footstool  of  his  throne!  Would  you  think  it,  sir:  one  of 
his  commanders  dared  to  couple  the  name  of  my  country 
with  an  epithet  I  will  not  wound  your  ear  by  repeating?" 

"  I  hope  you  taught  the  scoundrel  manners." 

The  Rover  faced  his  companion,  and  there  was  a  ghastly 
smile  on  his  face,  as  he  answered: 

"  He  never  repeated  the  offence.  'Twas  his  blood  or 
mine;  dearly  did  he  pay  the  forfeit  of  his  brutality!" 

"  You  fought  like  men,  and  fortune  favored  the  injured 
party?" 

"  We  fought,  sir.  But  I  had  dared  to  raise  my  hand 
against  a  native  of  the  holy  isle!  It  is  enough,  Mr.  Wilder; 
the  king  rendered  a  faithful  subject  desperate,  and  he  has 
had  reason  to  repent  it.  Enough  for  the  present;  another 
time  I  may  say  more.  Good  night." 

Wilder  saw  the  figure  of  his  companion  descend  the  lad- 
der to  the  quarter-deck ;  and  then   he  was  left  to  pursue  the 
current  of  his  thoughts  alone,  during  the  remainder  of  a 
watch  which,  to  his  impatience,  seemed  without  an  end. 
22  * 


338  THE    RED    ROVER. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

She  made  good  view  of  me  ;  indeed,  so  much. 
That  sure,  methought,  her  eyes  had  lost  her  tongue, 
For  she  did  speak  in  starts  distractedly. 

Twelfth  Night. 

THOUGH  most  of  the  crew  of  the  Dolphin  slept,  there  were 
bright  and  anxious  eyes  still  open  in  a  different  part  of  the 
vessel.  The  Rover  had  relinquished  his  cabin  to  Mrs. 
Wyllys  and  Gertrude  from  the  moment  they  entered  the 
ship,  and  we  shall  shift  the  scene  to  that  apartment  (already 
sufficiently  described  to  render  the  reader  familiar  with  the 
objects  it  contained),  resuming  the  action  of  the  tale  at  an 
early  part  of  the  discourse  just  related  in  the  preceding 
chapter. 

It  will  not  be  necessary  to  dwell  upon  the  feelings  with 
which  the  females  had  witnessed  the  disturbances  of  that 
day;  the  conjectures  and  suspicions  to  which  they  gave  rise 
may  be  apparent  in  what  is  about  to  follow.  A  mild  soft 
light  fell  from  the  lamp  of  wrought  and  massive  silver,  that 
was  suspended  from  the  upper  deck,  obliquely  upon  the  pen- 
sive countenance  of  the  governess,  while  a  few  of  its  strongest 
rays  lighted  the  more  youthful  features  of  her  companion. 
The  background  was  occupied,  like  a  dark  shadow  in  a 
picture,  by  the  dusky  form  of  the  slumbering  Cassandra.  At 
the  moment  when  the  curtain  must  be  drawn  from  before 
this  quiet  scene,  the  pupil  was  seeking  in  the  averted  eyes 
of  her  instructress  an  answer  to  a  question  which  the  tongue 
of  the  latter  appeared  reluctant  to  accord. 

"  I  repeat,  my  dearest  madam,"  said  Gertrude,  "  that  the 
fashion  of  these  ornaments,  no  less  than  their  materials,  is 
extraordinary  in  a  ship." 

"And  what  would  you  infer  from  the  fact?" 

"  I  know  not.  I  would  that  we  were  safe  in  the  house  of 
my  father/' 


THE   RED    ROVER.  339 

"  God  grant  it !  It  may  be  imprudent  to  be  longer  silent. 
•—Gertrude,  frightful,  horrible  suspicions  have  been  engen- 
dered in  my  mind  by  what  we  have  this  day  witnessed/' 

The  cheek  of  the  young  girl  blanched,  while  she  de- 
manded an  explanation  with  her  eyes. 

"  I  have  long  been  familiar  with  the  usages  of  a  vessel  of 
war,"  continued  the  governess,  who  had  only  paused  in 
order  to  review  the  causes  of*  her  suspicions  in  her  own 
mind,  "  but  never  have  I  seen  such  customs,  as  each  hour 
unfolds  in  this  vessel." 

"Of  what  do  you  suspect  her?" 

The  look  of  engrossing,  maternal  anxiety  that  the  lovely 
interrogator  received  in  reply  to  this  question  might  have 
startled  one  whose  mind  had  been  more  accustomed  to  muse 
on  the  depravity  of  human  nature  than  the  spotless  being 
who  received  it ;  but  to  Gertrude  it  conveyed  no  more  than 
a  general  and  vague  sensation  of  alarm. 

"Why  do  you  thus  regard  me,  my  governess — my 
mother?"  she  exclaimed,  bending  forward,  and  laying  a 
hand  imploringly  on  the  arm  of  the  other,  as  if  to  arouse 
her  from  a  trance. 

"  Yes,  I  will  speak.  It  is  safer  that  you  should  know  the 
worst,  than  that  your  innocence  should  be  liable  to  be 
abused.  I  distrust  the  character  of  this  ship,  and  of  all 
that  belong  to  her." 

"All!" 

"Yes;  of  all." 

"There  may  be  wicked  and  evil-intentioned  men  in  his 
majesty's  fleet;  but  we  are  surely  safe  from  them,  since  fear 
of  punishment,  if  not  fear  of  disgrace,  will  be  our  pro- 
tection." 

"  I  dread  lest  we  find  that  the  lawless  spirits  who  harbor 
here  submit  to  no  laws,  except  those  of  their  own  enacting, 
nor  acknowledge  any  authority  but  that  which  exists  among 
themselves." 

"This  would  make  them  pirates!" 


34O  THE    RED    ROVER. 

"  And  pirates,  I  fear,  we  shall  find  them." 

"  Pirates?     What!  all?" 

"Even  all.  Where  one  is  guilty  of  such  a  crime,  it  is 
clear  that  the  associates  cannot  be  free  from  suspicion." 

"  But,  dear  madam,  we  know  that  one  among  them,  at 
least,  is  innocent;  since  he  came  with  ourselves,  and  under 
circumstances  that  will  not  admit  of  deception." 

"  I  know  not.  There  are  different  degrees  of  turpitude, 
as  there  are  different  tempers  to  commit  it!  I  fear  that  all 
who  may  lay  claim  to  be  honest  in  this  vessel  are  here." 

The  eyes  of  Gertrude  sank  to  the  floor,  and  her  lips 
quivered,  partly  in  a  tremor  she  could  not  control,  and  in 
part  through  an  emotion  that  she  found  inexplicable  to  her- 
self. 

"  Since  we  know  whence  our  late  companion  came,"  she 
said,  in  an  undertone,  "  I  think  you  do  him  wrong,  how- 
ever right  your  suspicions  may  prove  as  to  the  rest." 

"  I  may  possibly  be  wrong  as  to  him,  I  admit,  but  it  is 
important  that  we  know  the  worst.  Command  yourself,  my 
love;  our  young  attendant  ascends:  some  knowledge  of  the 
truth  may  be  gained  from  him." 

Mrs.  Wyllys  gave  her  pupil  an  expressive  sign  to  com- 
pose her  features,  while  she  herself  resumed  a  calmness  of 
mien  that  might  have  deceived  one  far  more  practised  than 
the  boy,  who  now  came  slowly  into  the  cabin.  Gertrude 
buried  her  face  in  a  part  of  her  attire,  while  the  former  ad- 
dressed the  youth,  in  a  tone  equally  divided  between  kind- 
ness and  concern. 

"Roderick,  child,"  she  commenced,  "your  eyelids  are 
getting  heavy.  The  service  of  a  ship  must  be  new  to  you?" 

"  It  is  so  old  as  to  keep  me  from  sleeping  on  my  \vatch," 
coldly  returned  the  boy. 

"  A  careful  mother  would  be  better  for  one  of  your  years, 
than  the  school  of  the  boatswain.  What  is  your  ag.-\ 
Roderick?" 

"  I  have  seen  years  enough  to  be  both  wiser  and  betU 


THE   RED   ROVER.  34! 

he  answered,  not  without  a  shade  of  thought  on  his  brow. 
"  Another  month  will  make  me  twenty." 

"Twenty!  you  trifle  with  my  curiosity,  urchin." 

"Did  I  say  twenty,  madame?  Fifteen  would  be  much 
nearer  to  the  truth." 

"  I  believe  you.  And  how  many  of  those  years  have  you 
passed  upon  the  water?" 

"  But  two,  in  truth ;  though  I  often  think  them  ten ;  and 
yet  there  are  times  when  they  seem  but  a  day!" 

"  You  are  romantic  early,  boy.  And  how  do  you  like  the 
trade  of  war?" 

"War!" 

"  Of  war.  I  speak  plainly,  do  I  not  ?  Those  who  serve 
in  a  vessel  that  is  constructed  expressly  for  battle,  follow 
the  trade  of  war." 

"  Oh !  yes ;  war  is  certainly  our  trade." 

"And  have  you  yet  seen  any  of  its  horrors?  Has  this 
ship  been  in  combat  since  your  service  began?" 

"This  ship!" 

"  Surely  this  ship:  have  you  ever  sailed  in  another?" 

"  Never." 

"Then,  it  is  of  this  ship  that  one  must  question  you.  Is 
prize-money  plenty  among  your  crew?" 

"Abundant;  they  never  want." 

"  Then  the  vessel  and  captain  are  both  iavorites.  The 
sailor  loves  the  ship  and  commander  that  give  him  an  ac- 
tive life." 

"Ay,  madam;  our  lives  are  active  here.  And  some 
there  are  among  us,  too,  who  love  both  ship  and  com- 
mander." 

"And  have  you  mother,  or  friend,  to  profit  by  your 
earnings?" 


Have  I- 


Struck  with  the. tone  of  stupor  with  which  the  boy  re- 
sponded to  her  queries,  the  governess  turned  her  head,  to 
cast  a  rapid  glance  at  the  language  of  his  countenance.  He 


342  THE    RED    ROVER. 

stood  in  a  sort  of  senseless  amazement,  looking  her  full  in 
the  face,  but  with  an  eye  so  vacant  as  to  prove  that  he  was 
not  sensible  of  the  image  that  filled  it. 

"Tell  me,  Roderick,"  she  continued,  careful  not  to 
awaken  his  jealousy  by  any  sudden  allusion  to  his  manner, 
— "tell  me  of  this  life  of  yours.  You  find  it  merry?" 

"  I  find  it  sad." 

"  'Tis  strange.  The  young  ship-boys  are  usually  among 
the  merriest  of  mortals.  Perhaps  your  officer  treats  you  with 
severity." 

No  answer  was  given. 

"  I  am  right:  your  captain  is  a  tyrant." 

"  You  are  wrong :  never  has  he  said  a  harsh  or  unkind 
word  to  me." 

"  Ah !  then  he  is  gentle  and  kind.  You  are  very  happy, 
Roderick." 

"I — happy,  madam?" 

"  I  speak  plainly,  and  in  English — happy." 

"Oh!  yes:  we  are  all  very  happy  here." 

"  It  is  well.  A  discontented  ship  is  no  paradise.  And 
you  are  often  in  port,  Roderick,  to  taste  the  sweets  of  the 
land?" 

"  I  care  but  little  for  the  land,  madam,  could  I  only  have 
friends  in  the  ship  that  love  me." 

"And  have  you  not?     Is  not  Mr.  Wilder  your  friend?" 

"I  know  but  little  of  him;  I  never  saw  him  before " 

"When,  Roderick?" 

"  Before  we  met  in  Newport." 

"In  Newport!" 

"Surely  you  know  we  both  came  from  Newport,  last?" 

"  Ah !  I  comprehend  you.  Then  your  acquaintance  with 
Mr.  Wilder  commenced  at  Newport?  It  was  while  the  ship 
was  lying  off  the  fort?" 

"  It  was.  I  carried  him  the  order  to  take  command  of 
the  Bristol  trader.  He  had  only  joined  us  the  night 
before.-" 


THE  RED  ROVER.  343 

"So  lately!  It  was  a  young  acquaintance,  indeed.  But  I 
suppose  your  commander  knew  his  merits?" 

"  It  is  so  hoped  among  the  people.     But " 

"  You  were  speaking,  Roderick." 

"  None  here  dare  question  the  captain  for  his  reasons. 
Even  /am  obliged  to  be  mute." 

"Even  you  J"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Wyllys,  in  a  surprise  that 
for  the  moment  overcame  her  self-restraint  But  the 
thought  in  which  the  boy  was  lost  appeared  to  prevent  his 
observing  the  sudden  change  in  her  manner.  Indeed,  so 
little  did  he  know  what  was  passing,  that  the  goqerness 
touched  the  hand  of  Gertrude,  and  silently  pointed  out  the 
insensible  figure  of  the  lad  without  the  slightest  apprehen- 
sion that  the  movement  would  be  observed. 

"  What  think  you,  Roderick,"  continued  his  interrogator, 
"would  he  refuse  to  answer  us  also?" 

The  boy  started;  and,  as  consciousness  shot  into  his 
glance,  it  fell  upon  the  countenance  of  Gertrude. 

"  Though  her  beauty  be  so  rare,"  he  answered,  with 
vehemence,  "  let  her  not  prize  it  too  highly.  Woman  can- 
not tame  his  temper!" 

"Is  he  then  so  hard  of  heart?  Think  you  that  a  ques- 
tion from  this  fair  one  would  be  denied?" 

"  Hear  me,  lady,"  he  said,  with  an  earnestness  that  was 
no  less  remarkable  than  the  plamtive  softness  of  the  tones 
in  which  he  spoke;  "I  have  seen  more  in  the  last  two 
crowded  years  of  my  life  than  many  youths  would  witness 
between  childhood  and  the  age  of  man.  This  is  no  place 
for  innocence  and  beauty.  Oh !  quit  the  ship,  if  you 
leave  it  as  you  came,  without  a  deck  to  lay  your  head 
under!" 

"  It  may  be  too  late  to  follow  such  advice,"  Mrs.  Wyllys 
gravely  replied,  glancing  her  eye  at  the  silent  Gertrude  as 
she  spoke.  "  But  tell  me  more  of  this  extraordinary  vessel, 
Roderick;  you  were  not  born  to  fill  the  station  in  which  I 
find  you?" 


344  THE  RED  ROVER. 

The  boy  shook  his  head,  but  remained  with  downcast 
eyes,  apparently  indisposed  to  answer. 

"  How  is  it  that  I  find  the  Dolphin  bearing  different  hues 
to-day  from  what  she  did  yesterday?  and  why  is  it  that 
neither  then,  nor  now,  does  she  resemble,  in  her  paint,  the 
slaver  of  Newport  harbor?" 

"And  why  is  it?"  returned  the  boy  with  a  smile,  in  which 
melancholy  struggled  powerfully  with  bitterness,  "  that  none 
can  look  into  the  secret  heart  of  him  who  makes  these 
changes  at  will  ?  If  all  remained  the  same  but  the  paint  of 
the  ship,  one  might  still  be  happy  in  her!" 

"Then  Roderick,  you  are  not  happy:  shall  I  intercede 
with  Captain  Heidegger  for  your  discharge?" 

"  I  could  never  wish  to  serve  another." 

"  How !  Do  you  complain,  and  yet  embrace  your  fet- 
ters?" 

"  I  complain  not." 

The  governess  eyed  him  closely;  and,  after  a  moment's 
pause,  she  continued: 

"  Is  it  usual  to  see  such  riotous  conduct  among  the  crew 
as  we  have  this  day  witnessed?" 

"It  is  not.  You  have  little  to  fear  from  the  people;  he 
who  brought  them  under  knows  how  to  keep  them  down." 

"They  are  enlisted  by  order  of  the  king?" 

"The  king! — Yes,  surely;  a  king  who  has  no  equal." 

"  But  they  dared  to  threaten  the  life  of  Mr.  Wilder.  Is  a 
seaman,  in  a  king's  ship,  usually  so  bold?" 

The  boy  glanced  a  look  at  Mrs.  Wyllys,  as  if  he  would 
say  he  understood  her  affected  ignorance  of  the  character  of 
the  vessel,  but  he  chose  to  continue  silent. 

"  Think  you,  Roderick,"  continued  the  governess,  who  no 
longer  deemed  it  necessary  to  pursue  her  covert  inquiries 
on  that  particular  subject, — "  think  you,  Roderick,  that  the 
Rov — that  is,  that  Captain  Heidegger  will  suffer  us  to  land 
at  the  first  port  which  offers?" 

"Many  have  been  passed  since  you  reached  the  ship." 


THE    RED    ROVER.  345 

"Ay,  many  that  are  inconvenient;  but  when  one  shall  be 
gained  where  his  pursuits  will  allow  his  ship  to  enter?" 

"  Such  places  are  not  common." 

"  But,  should  it  occur,  do  you  think  he  will  permit  us  to 
land?  We  have  gold  to  pay  him  for  his  trouble." 

"  He  cares  not  for  gold.  I  never  ask  him  for  it  that  he 
does  not  fill  my  hand." 

"  You  must  be  happy,  then.  Plenty  of  gold  will  compen- 
sate for  a  cold  look  at  times." 

"Never!'7  returned  the  boy  with  quickness  and  energy. 
"  Had  I  the  ship  filled  with  the  dross,  I  would  give  it  all  to 
bring  a  look  of  kindness  into  his  eye." 

Mrs.  Wyllys  started,  no  less  at  the  fervid  manner  of  the  lad 
than  at  the  language.  Rising  from  her  seat,  she  approached 
nigher  to  him,  and  in  a  situation  where  the  light  of  the 
lamp  fell  fuller  upon  his  person.  She  saw  the  large  drop 
that  broke  out  from  beneath  a  long  and  silken  lash  to'  roll 
down  a  cheek  which,  though  embrowned  by  the  sun,  was 
gradually  blushing  with  the  color  that  stole  into  it,  as  her 
own  gaze  became  more  settled;  and  then  her  eyes  fell 
slowly  and  keenly  along  the  whole  form  of  the  lad,  until 
they  reached  the  feet  that  were  so  delicate  that  they  seemed 
barely  able  to  uphold  him.  The  usually  mild  countenance 
of  the  governess  changed  to  a  look  of  cold  regard,  and  her 
whole  form  elevated  itself  in  chaste  matronly  dignity,  as  she 
sternly  asked: 

"  Boy,  have  you  a  mother?" 

"  I  know  not,"  was  the  answer  that  came  from  lips  that 
scarcely  served  to  permit  the  smothered  sounds  to  escape. 

"  It  is  enough ;  another  time  I  will  speak  further  with 
you.  Cassandra  will  in  future  do  the  service  of  this  cabin ; 
when  I  have  need  of  you,  the  gong  shall  be  touched." 

The  head  of  Roderick  fell  to  his  bosom.  He  shrunk  from 
before  the  cold  and  searching  eye  which  followed  his  form 
until  it  had  disappeared  through  the  hatch.  The  moment 
he  had  disappeared  Mrs.  Wyllys  caught  Gertrude  to  her 


THE   RED    ROVER. 

bosom,  straining  the  astonished  but  affectionate  girl  to  her 
heart  in  a  way  to  show  how  precious  she  was  at  that  fear- 
ful moment. 

A  gentle  tap  at  the  door  broke  in  upon  the  flood  of  reflec- 
tions which  were  crowding  on  the  mind  of  the  governess. 
She  gave  the  customary  answer;  and,  before  time  was  al- 
lowed for  any  interchange  of  ideas  between  her  and  her  pupil, 
the  Rover  entered. 


CHAPTER   XXIII. 

I  melt,  and  am  not  of  stronger  earth  than  others. — Corioianus. 

THE  females  received  their  visitor  with  a  restraint,  which 
will  be  easily  understood  when  the  subject  of  their  recent 
conversation  is  recollected.  The  sinking  of  Gertrude's 
form  was  hurried,  but  her  governess  maintained  the  cold- 
ness of  her  air  with  greater  self-composure.  Still  there 
was  anxious  concern  in  the  watchful  glance  that  she  threw 
towards  her  guest,  as  if  she  would  anticipate  the  motive  of 
his  visit  before  he  spoke. 

The  countenance  of  the  Rover  himself  was  thoughtful  to 
gravity.  He  bowed  as  he  came  within  the  influence  of  the 
lamp,  and  his  voice  was  heard  muttering  in  some  low  and 
hasty  syllables,  that  conveyed  no  meaning  to  the  ears  of  his 
listeners.  Indeed,  so  great  was  the  abstraction  in  which  he 
was  lost,  that  he  had  evidently  prepared  to  throw  his  person 
on  the  vacant  divan,  without  explanation  or  apology,  like 
one  who  took  possession  of  his  own;  though  recollection 
returned  just  in  time  to  prevent  this  breach  of  decorum. 
Smiling,  and  repeating  his  bow,  with  a  still  deeper  inclina- 
tion, he  advanced  with  perfect  self-possession  to  the  table, 
where  he  expressed  his  fears  that  Mrs.  Wyllys  might  deem 
his  visit  unseasonable,  or  perhaps  not  announced  with 
sufficient  ceremony.  During  this  short  introduction  bis 


THE    RED    ROVER.  347 

voice  was  bland  as  woman's,  and  his  mien  as  courteous  as 
if  he  actually  felt  himself  an  intruder  in  the  cabin  of  a  ves- 
sel in  which  he  was  literally  a  monarch. 

"But  unseasonable  as  the  hour  is,"  he  continued,  "I 
should  have  gone  to  my  cot  with  a  consciousness  of  not 
having  discharged  all  the  duties  of  an  attentive  and  con- 
siderate host,  had  I  forgotten  to  reassure  you  of  the  tran- 
quillity of  the  ship,  after  the  scene 'you  have  witnessed.  I 
have  pleasure  in  saying  that  the  humor  of  my  people  is 
already  expended,  and  that  lambs,  in  their  nightly  folds, 
are  not  more  placid  than  they  are  at  this  minute  in  their 
hammocks." 

"  The  authority  that  so  promptly  quelled  the  disturbance 
is  happily  ever  present  to  protect  us,"  returned  the  cautious 
governess;  "we  repose  entirely  on  your  discretion  and 
generosity." 

"You  have  not  misplaced  your  confidence.  From  the 
danger  of  mutiny  at  least  you  are  exempt." 

"  And  from  all  others,  I  trust." 

"This  is  a  wild  and  fickle  element  we  dwell  on,"  he  an- 
swered, while  he  bowed  his  acknowledgment,  taking  the 
seat  to  which  the  other  invited  him  by  a  motion  of  the 
hand;  "but  you  know  its  character;  and  need  not  be 
told  that  we  seamen  are  seldom  certain  of  any  of  our 
movements.  I  loosened  the  cords  of  discipline  myself 
to-day,  and  in  some  measure  invited  the  broil  that  fol- 
lowed :  but  it  is  passed,  like  the  hurricane  and  the  squall ; 
the  ocean  is  not  now  smoother  than  the  tempers  of  my 
knaves." 

"  I  have  often  witnessed  these  rude  sports  in  vessels  of 
the  king;  but  I  do  not  remember  to  have  known  any  more 
serious  result  than  the  settlement  of  some  ancient  quarrel, 
or  some  odd  freak  of  nautical  humor,  which  has  commonly 
proved  as  harmless  as  it  has  been  quaint." 

"Ay;  but  the  ship  which  often  runs  the  hazard  of  the 
shoals  gets  wrecked  at  last,"  muttered  the  Rover.  "  I  rarely 


348  THE    RED    ROVER. 

give  the  quarter-deck  up  to  the  people  without  keeping  a 
vigilant  watch  on  their  humors;  but — to-day " 

"  You  were  speaking  of  to-day." 

"  Neptune,  with  his  coarse  devices,  is  no  stranger  to  you, 
madam." 

"  I  have  seen  the  god  in  times  past." 

"  'Twas  thus  I  understood  it;' — under  the  line?" 

"  And  elsewhere." 

"  Elsewhere!"  repeated  the  other  in  a  tone  of  disappoint- 
ment. "Ay,  the  sturdy  despot  is  to  be  found  in  every  sea; 
and  hundreds  of  ships,  and  ships  of  size,  too,  are  to  be  seen 
scorching  in  the  calms  of  the  Equator.  It  was  idle  to  give 
the  subject  a  second  thought!" 

"  You  have  been  pleased  to  observe  something  that  has 
escaped  my  ear." 

The  Rover  started;  for  he  had  again  rather  muttered 
than  spoken  the  preceding  sentence  aloud.  Casting  a 
searching  glance  around  him,  as  it  might  be  to  assure  him- 
self that  no  impertinent  listener  had  found  means  to  pry 
into  the  mysteries  of  a  mind  he  seldom  saw  fit  to  lay  open 
to  the  examination  of  his  associates,  he  regained  his  self- 
possession,  and  resumed  the  discourse  with  a  manner  as 
undisturbed  as  if  it  had  received  no  interruption. 

"  I  had  forgotten  that  your  sex  is  as  timorous  as  it  is 
fair,"  he  added,  with  a  smile  so  insinuating  and  gentle,  that 
the  governess  cast  an  involuntary  and  uneasy  glance  towards 
her  charge,  "  or  I  might  have  been  earlier  with  my  assur- 
ances of  safety." 

"  They  are  welcome  even  now." 

"  And  your  young  and  gentle  friend,"  he  continued,  in- 
clining towards  Gertrude,  though  he  still  addressed  his 
words  to  the  governess;  "her  slumbers  will  be  none  the 
heavier  for  what  has  passed." 

"The  innocent  seldom  find  an  uneasy  pillow." 

"  There  is  a  holy  and  unsearchable  mystery  in  that  truth : 
the  innocent  pillow  their  heads  in  quiet!  Would  to  God 


THE    RED    ROVER.  349 

the  guilty  might  find  some  refuge,  too,  against  the  sting  of 
thought!  But  we  live  in  a  world,  and  in  a  time,  when  men 
cannot  be  sure  even  of  themselves." 

He  then  paused,  and  looked  about  him  with  a  smile  so 
haggard  that  the  anxious  governess  unconsciously  drew 
nigher  her  pupil,  like  one  who  was  ready  to  yield  protec- 
tion against  the  uncertain  designs  of  a  maniac.  Her  visi- 
tor, however,  remained  in  a  silence  so  long  and  deep,  that 
she  felt  the  necessity  of  removing  the  awkward  embarrass- 
ment of  their  situation  by  speaking  herself. 

"  Do  you  find  Mr.  Wilder  as  much  inclined  to  mercy  as 
yourself?"  she  asked.  "There  would  be  merit  in  his  for- 
bearance, since  he  appeared  to  be  the  particular  object  of 
the  anger  of  the  mutineers." 

"And  yet  you  saw  he  was  not  without  friends.  You 
witnessed  the  devotion  of  the  men  who  stood  forth  so  bravely 
in  his  behalf?" 

"I  did;  and  find  it  remarkable  that  he  should  have  been 
able,  in  so  short  a  time,  to  conquer  thus  completely  two  so 
stubborn  natures." 

"  Four-and-twenty  years  are  not  an  acquaintance  of  a 
day." 

"And  aoes  their  friendship  bear  so  old  a  date?" 

"  I  have  heard  that  time  counted  between  them.  It  is 
very  certain  the  youth  is  bound  to  those  uncouth  com- 
panions of  his  by  some  extraordinary  tie!  Perhaps  this  is 
not  the  first  of  their  services." 

Mrs.  Wyllys  looked  grieved.  Although  prepared  to  be- 
lieve that  Wilder  was  a  secret  agent  of  the  Rover,  she  had 
endeavored  to  hope  his  connection  with  the  freebooters 
was  susceptible  of  some  explanation  more  favorable  to  his 
character.  However  he  might  be  implicated  in  the  common 
guilt  of  those  who  pursued  the  reckless  fortunes  of  that 
proscribed  ship,  it  was  evident  he  bore  a  heart  too  generous 
to  wish  to  see  her,  and  her  young  and  guileless  charge,  the 
victims  of  the  licentiousness  of  his  associates.  His  repeated 


350  THE    RED    ROVER. 

and  mysterious  warnings  no  longer  needed  explanation. 
Indeed,  all  that  had  been  dark  and  inexplicable,  both  in  the 
previous  and  unaccountable  glimmerings  of  her  own  mind, 
and  in  the  extraordinary  conduct  of  the  inmates  of  the  ship, 
was  at  each,  instant  becoming  capable  of  solution.  She 
now  remembered,  in  the  person  and  countenance  of  the 
Rover,  the  form  and  features  of  the  individual  who  had 
spoken  the  passing  Bristol  trader  from  the  rigging  of  the 
slaver — a  form  which  had  unaccountably  haunted  her 
imagination,  during  her  residence  in  his  ship,  like  an 
image  recalled  from  some  dim  and  distant  period.  Then 
she  saw  at  once  the  difficulty  that  Wilder  might  have  in 
laying  open  a  secret  in  which  not  only  his  life  was  involved, 
but  which,  to  a  mind  that  was  not  hardened  in  vice,  in- 
volved a  penalty  not  less  severe — that  of  the  loss  of  their 
esteem.  In  short,  a  good  deal  of  that  which  the  reader  has 
found  no  difficulty  in  comprehending  was  also  becoming 
clear  to  the  faculties  of  the  governess,  though  much  still 
remained  obscured  in  doubts  that  she  could  neither  solve, 
nor  yet  entirely  banish  from  her  thoughts.  On  all  these 
points  she  had  leisure  to  reflect,  for  her  guest,  or  host, 
whichever  he  might  be  called,  seemed  in  no  wise  disposed 
to  interrupt  her  reverie. 

"It  is  wonderful,"  Mrs.  Wyllys  at  length  resumed,  "that 
being  so  uncouth  should  be  influenced  by  the  same  attach- 
ments as  those  which  unite  the  educated  and  the  re- 
fined." 

"It  is  wonderful,  as  you  say,"  returned  the  other,  like 
one  awakening  from  a  dream.  "  I  would  give  a  thousand 
of  the  brightest  guineas  that  ever  came  from  the  mint  of 
George  II.  to  know  the  private  history  of  that  youth." 

"Is  he  then  a  stranger  to  you?"  demanded  Gertrude, 
with  the  quickness  of  thought. 

The  Rover  turned  an  eye  on  her  that  was  vacant  for  the 
moment,  but  into  which  consciousness  and  expression 
began  to  steal  as  he  gazed,  until  the  foot  of  the  governess 


THE    RED    ROVER.  351 

was  trembling  with  the  nervous  excitement  that  pervaded 
her  frame. 

"Who  shall  pretend  to  know  the  heart  of  man?"  he  an- 
swered, again  inclining  his  head  as  it  might  be  in  acknowl- 
edgment of  her  perfect  right  to  his  homage.  "All  are 
strangers  till  we  can  read  their  thoughts." 

"To  pry  into  the  mysteries  of  the  human  mind  is  a  privi- 
lege which  few  possess,"  coldly  remarked  the  governess. 
"  The  world  must  be  often  tried  and  thoroughly  known, 
before  we  can  pretend  to  judge  of  the  motives  of  those 
around  us.' 

"  And  yet.  it  is  a  pleasant  world  to  those  who  have  the 
heart  to  make  it  merry,"  cried  the  Rover,  with  one  of  those 
startling  transitions  which  marked  his  manner.  "To  him 
who  is  stout  enough  to  follow  the  bent  of  his  humor,  all  is 
easy.  Do  you  know,  that  the  true  secret  of  the  philosopher 
is  not  in  living  forever,  but  in  living  while  he  can?  He 
who  dies  at  fifty,  after  his  fill  of  pleasure,  has  had  more  of 
life  than  he  who  drags  his  feet  through  a  century,  bearing 
the  burden  of  the  world's  caprices,  and  afraid  to  speak 
above  his  breath,  lest,  forsooth,  his  neighbor  should  find 
that  his  words  were  evil." 

"  And  yet  there  are  some  who  find  their  greatest  pleasure 
in  pursuing  the  practices  of  virtue." 

"  'Tis  lovely  in  your  sex  to  say  it,"  he  answered,  with  an 
air  that  the  sensitive  governess  fancied  was  gleaming  with 
the  growing  licentiousness  of  a  freebooter.  She  would  now 
gladly  have  dismissed  her  visitor;  but  a  certain  flashing  of 
the  eye,  and  a  manner  that  was  becoming  gay  by  a  species 
of  unnatural  effort,  admonished  her  of  the  danger  of  offend- 
ing one  who  acknowledged  no  law  but  his  own  will.  As- 
suming a  tone  and  a  manner  that  were  kind,  while  they  up- 
held the  dignity  of  her  sex,  and  pointing  to  sundry  instru- 
ments of  music  that  formed  part  of  the  heterogeneous 
furniture  of  the  cabin,  she  adroitly  turned  the  discourse  by 
saying : 


352  THE    RED    ROVER. 

"One  whose  mind  can  be  softened  by  harmony,  and 
whose  feelings  are  so  evidently  alive  to  the  influence  of 
sweet  sounds,  should  not  decry  the  pleasures  of  innocence. 
This  flute,  and  yon  guitar,  both  call  you  master." 

"  And  finding  these  flimsy  evidences  about  my  person, 
you  are  willing  to  give  me  credit  for  the  accomplishments 
you  mention!  Here  is  another  mistake  of  miserable  mor- 
tality! Seeming  is  the  every-day  robe  of  honesty.  Why 
not  give  me  credit  for  kneeling,  morning  and  night,  before 
that  glittering  bauble?"  pointing  to  the  diamond  crucifix 
which  hung,  as  usual,  near  the  door  of  his  own  apartments. 

"  I  hope,  at  least,  that  the  Being  whose  memory  is  in- 
tended to  be  revived  by  that  image,  is  not  without  your 
homage.  In  the  pride  of  his  strength  and  prosperity,  man 
may  think  lightly  of  the  consolations  that  can  flow  from  a 
power  superior  to  humanity;  but  those  who  have  oftenest 
proved  their  value  feel  deepest  the  reverence  which  is  their 
due." 

The  look  of  the  governess  was  averted ;  but,  profoundly 
filled  with  the  feeling  she  expressed,  her  reflecting  eye 
turned  to  him  again,  as  she  uttered  the  simple  sentiment. 
The  gaze  she  met  was  earnest  and  thoughtful  as  her  own. 
Lifting  a  finger,  he  laid  it  on  her  arm,  with  a  motion  so 
light  as  to  be  scarcely  perceptible,  while  he  asked: 

"Think  you  we  are  to  blame  if  our  temperaments  incline 
more  to  evil  than  power  is  given  to  resist?" 

"  It  is  only  those  who  attempt  to  walk  the  path  of  life 
alone  that  stumble.  I  shall  not  offend  your  manhood  if  I 
ask,  do  you  never  commune  with  God?" 

"  It  is  long  since  that  name  has  been  heard  in  this  vessel, 
lady,  except  to  aid  in  that  miserable  scoffing  and  profanity 
which  simpler  language  made  too  dull.  But  what  is  He, 
that  unknown  Deity,  more  than  what  man  in  his  ingenuity 
has  seen  fit  to  make  Him?" 

"'The  fool  hath  said  in  his  heart,  There  is  no  God,'"  she 
answered  in  a  voice  so  firm  that  it  startled  even  the  ears  of 


THE    RED    ROVER.  353 

ine  so  long  accustomed  to  the  turbulence  and  grandeur  of 
his  wild  profession.  '"Gird  up  now  thy  loins  like  a  man; 
for  I  will  demand  of  thee,  and  answer  thou  me.  Where 
wast  thou  when  I  laid  the  foundations  of  the  earth?  De- 
clare, if  thou  hast  understanding.'  " 

The  Rover  gazed  wildly  on  the  flushed  countenance  of 
the  speaker.  Bending  his  face  aside,  he  said  aloud,  rather 
giving  utterance  to  his  thoughts  'than  pursuing  the  dis- 
course : 

"  There  is  nothing  more  in  this  than  what  I  have  often 
heard,  and  yet  it  comes  over  my  feelings  with  the  freshness 
of  native  air!  Lady,  repeat  thy  words;  change  not  a 
syllable,  nor  vary  the  slightest  intonation  of  the  voice,  I 
pray  thee." 

Though  much  amazed,  and  even  alarmed  at  the  request, 
Mrs.  Wyllys  complied;  delivering  the  holy  language  of  the 
inspired  writers  with  a  fervor  that  found  its  support  in  the 
strength  of  her  own  faith.  Her  auditor  listened  like  a  being 
enthralled.  For  nearly  a  minute  neither  eye  nor  attitude 
was  changed,  but  he  stood  at  the  feet  of  her  who  had  so  sim- 
ply and  so  powerfully  asserted  the  majesty  of  God,  motion- 
less as  the  mast  against  which  he  leaned.  It  was  long  after 
her  accents  had  ceased  that  he  drew  a  deep  respiration,  and 
again  spoke. 

"This  is  re-treading  the  whole  path  of  life  at  a  single 
stride,"  he  said.  "  I  know  not  why  my  pulses,  which  in 
common  are  like  iron,  beat  so  irregularly  now.  Lady,  this 
little  hand  of  thine  might  check  a  temper  that  has  so  often 
braved " 

He  ceased;  for  his  eye  following  his  own  hand,  which 
had  unconsciously  touched  that  of  Mrs.  Wyllys,  was  fas- 
tened on  the  member  he  had  named,  which  he  appeared  to 
study  as  if  examining  a  relic.  Drawing  a  sigh,  like  one 
who  awakened  from  an  agreeable  illusion,  he  turned  away, 
leaving  the  sentence  unfinished. 

"You   would  have    music!"    he   recklessly   exclaimecl 


354  THE  RED  ROVER. 

"  Then  music  there  shall  be,  though  its  symphony  be  rung 
upon  a  gong!" 

As  he  spoke,  the  wayward  and  vacillating  being  we 
have  been  attempting  to  describe  struck  the  instrument  so 
quick  and  powerfully  as  to  drown  all  reply  in  the  din. 
Though  deeply  mortified  that  he  had  so  quickly  escaped 
from  the  influence  she  had  partially  acquired,  and  secretly 
displeased  at  the  unceremonious  manner  in  which  he  had 
seen  fit  to  announce  his  independence  again,  the  governess 
was  aware  of  the  necessity  of  concealing  her  disappoint- 
ment. 

"  This  is  certainly  not  the  harmony  I  invited,"  she  said, 
when  the  overwhelming  sounds  had  ceased  to  fill  the  ship; 
"nor  do  I  think  it  of  a  quality  to  favor  the  slumbers  of 
those  who  are  less  dangerous  in  their  hammocks  than  when 
awake." 

"Fear  nothing  for  them.  The  seaman  will  sleep  soundly 
with  his  ear  near  the  port  at  which  the  cannon  bellows,  and 
he  awakes  at  the  call  of  the  boatswain's  whistle.  He  is  too 
deeply  schooled  in  habit  to  think  he  has  heard  more  than  a 
note  of  the  flute;  stronger  and  fuller  than  common,  if  you 
will,  but  still  a  sound  that  has  no  interest  for  him. 
Another  tap  would  have  sounded  the  alarm  of  fire;  these 
three  touches  say  no  more  than  music.  It  was  the  signal 
for  the  band.  The  night  is  still,  and  favorable  for  their 
art,  and  we  will  listen  to  sweet  sounds  awhile." 

His  words  were  scarcely  uttered  before  the  low  chords  of 
wind  instruments  were  heard  without,  where  the  men  had 
probably  stationed  themselves  by  some  previous  order  of 
their  captain.  The  Rover  smiled,  as  if  he  exulted  in  this 
prompt  proof  of  the  sort  of  despotic,  or  rather  magical,  power 
he  wielded;  and,  throwing  his  form  on  the  divan,  he  sat 
listening  to  the  sounds  which  followed. 

The  strains  which  now  rose  upon  the  night,  and  which 
spread  themselves  soft  and  melodiously  abroad  upon  the 
water,  wou!4  ha,VQ  done  credit  to  more  regular  artists. 


THE-  RED    ROVER.  355 

air  was  wild  and  melancholy,  and,  perhaps,  it  was  the  more 
in  accordance  with  the  present  humor  of  the  man  for  whose 
ear  it  was  created.  Then  losing  the  former  character,  the 
whole  power  of  the  music  was  concentrated  in  softer  and 
still  gentler  sounds,  as  if  the  genius  who  had  given  birth  to 
the  melody  were  pouring  out  the  feelings  of  his  soul  in 
pathos.  The  temper  of  the  Rover's  mind'answered  to  the 
changing  expression  of  the  music;  and,  when  the  strains 
were  sweetest  and  most  touching,  he  bowed  his  head  like  one 
who  wept. 

Though  secretly  under  the  influence  of  the  harmony 
themselves,  Mrs.  Wyllys  and  her  pupil  could  but  gaze  on 
the  singularly  constituted  being  into  whose  hands  they  had 
been  cast  by  their  evil  fortune.  The  former  was  filled  with 
admiration  at  the  fearful  contrariety  of  passions  which 
could  reveal  themselves  in  the  same  individual,  under  so 
very  different  and  so  dangerous  forms;  while  the  latter, 
judging  with  the  indulgence  of  her  years,  was  willing  to 
believe  that  a  man  whose  emotions  could  be  thus  easily  and 
kindly  excited  was  rather  the  victim  of  circumstances  than 
the  creator  of  his  own  habits. 

"  There  is  Italy  in  those  strains,"  said  the  Rover,  when 
the  last  chord  died  upon  his  ear ;  "  sweet,  indolent,  luxurious, 
forgetful  Italy!  It  has  never  been  your  chance,  madam,  to 
visit  that  land,  so  mighty  in  its  recollections,  and  so  impo- 
tent in  its  actual  condition?" 

The  governess  made  no  reply;  but,  bowing  her  head,  in 
turn,  her  companions  believed  she  was  submitting  also  to 
the  influence  of  the  music.  At  length,  impelled  by  another 
changeful  impulse,  the  Rover  advanced  towards  Gertrude ; 
and,  addressing  her  with  a  courtesy  that  would  have  done 
credit  to  a  different  scene,  he  said: 

"  One  who  in  common  speaks  music  should  not  have 
neglected  the  gifts  of  nature.  You  sing?" 

Had  Gertrude  possessed  the  power  he  affected  to  believe, 
her  voice  would  have  denied  its  services  at  his  call.  Bend- 


356  THE    RED    ROVER. 

ing  to  his  compliment,  she  murmured  her  apologies  in  words 
that  were  barely  audible.  He  listened  intently;  but,  with- 
out pressing  a  point  that  it  was  easy  to  see  was  unwelcome, 
he  turned  away,  and  gave  the  gong  a  light  quick  tap. 

"  Roderick,"  he  continued,  when  the  light  footsteps  of  the 
lad  were  heard  upon  the  stairs  that  led  into  the  cabin 
below,  "do  you  sleep?" 

The  answer  was  slow  and  smothered ;  of  course  it  was 
in  the  negative. 

"Apollo  was  not  absent  at  the  birth  of  Roderick,  madam. 
The  lad  can  raise  such  sounds  as  to  have  been  known  to 
melt  the  stubborn  feeling  of  a  seaman.  Go,  place  yourself 
by  the  cabin  door,  good  Roderick,  and  bid  the  music  run  a 
low  accompaniment  to  your  words." 

The  boy  obeyed,  stationing  his  slight  form  so  much  in 
shadow,  that  his  countenance  was  not  visible  to  those  who 
sat  within  the  stronger  light  of  the  lamp. 

The  instruments  then  commenced  a  gentle  symphony, 
which  was  soon  ended;  and  twice  did  they  begin  the  air, 
but  no  voice  was  heard. 

"Words,  Roderick,  words;  we  are  but  dull  interpreters 
of  the  meaning  of  the  flutes." 

The  boy  then  began  in  a  full,  rich,  contralto  voice,  which 
betrayed  a  tremor,  however,  that  threatened  more  than  once 
to  interrupt  his  song.  The  words,  so  far  as  they  might  be 
distinguished,  ran  as  follows: 

44  The  land  was  lying  broad  and  fair 

Behind  the  western  sea; 
And  holy  solitude  was  there, 
And  sweetest  liberty. 

**  The  lingering  sun,  at  evening,  hung 

A  glorious  orb,  divinely  beaming 
On  silent  lake  and  tree  ; 
And  ruddy  light  was  o'er  all  streaming, 
Mark,  man  !  for  thee ; 
O'er  valley,  lake,  and  tree ! 

**  And  now  a  thousand  maidens  stray. 
Or  range  the  echoing  groves ; 


THE    RED    ROVER.  357 

While  flutt'ring  near,  on  pinions  gay, 

Fan  twice  tea  thousand  loves. 
In  that  soft  clime,  at  even  time, 

Hope  says " 

"  Enough  of  this,  good  Roderick,"  impatiently  interrupted 
his  master.  "  There  is  too  much  of  the  Corydon  in  that 
song  for  the  humor  of  a  mariner.  Sing  us  of  the  sea  and 
its  pleasures,  boy;  and  roll  out  the- strains  in  a  fashion  that 
will  suit  a  sailor's  fancy." 

The  lad  was  mute,  perhaps  in  disinclination  to  the  task, 
perhaps  from  inability  to  comply. 

"What,  Roderick!  does  the  muse  desert  thee?  or  is  thy 
memory  getting  dull?  You  see  the  child  is  wilful  in  his 
melody;  he  must  sing  of  loves  and  sunshine,  or  he  fails. 
Now  touch  us  a  stronger  chord,  my  men,  and  put  life  into 
your  cadences,  while  I  troll  a  sea  air  for  the  honor  of  the 
ship." 

The  band  caught  the  humor  of  their  master  (for  he  well 
deserved  the  name),  sounding  a  powerful  and  graceful 
symphony,  to  prepare  the  listeners  for  the  song  of  the 
Rover.  Those  treacherous  and  beguiling  tones  which  so 
often  stole  into  his  voice  when  speaking,  did  not  mislead 
expectations  as  to  its  powers.  It  proved  to  be  equally  rich, 
full,  deep,  and  melodious.  Favored  by  these  natural  ad- 
vantages, and  aided  by  an  exquisite  ear,  he  rolled  out  the 
following  stanzas,  in  a  manner  that  was  singularly  divided 
between  that  of  the  reveller  and  the  man  of  sentiment.  The 
words  were  probably  original ;  for  they  smacked  strongly  of 
his  own  profession,  and  were  not  entirely  without  a  touch  of 
the  peculiar  taste  of  the  individual. 


'*  AH  hands,  unmoor !  unmoor ! 
Hark  t    t'ie  hoarse,  but  welcome  sound, 

Startling  the  seaman's  sweetest  slumbers, 
The  groaning  capstan's  laboring  round. 

The  cheerful  fife's  enlivening  numbers; 
And  ling'ring  idlers  join  the  brawl, 
And  merry  ship-boys  swell  the  call, 

All  hands  unmoor  !   unmoor  I 


35$  THE    RED   ROVER. 

"  The  cry's  '  A  sail !  a  sail ! ' 
Brace  high  each  nerve  to  dare  the  fight, 

And  boldly  steer  to  seek  the  foeman ; 
One  secret  prayer  to  aid  the  right, 

And  many  a  secret  thought  to  woman  I 
Now  spread  the  flutt'ring  canvas  wide, 
And  dash  the  foaming  sea  aside ; 

The  cry's  '  A  sail !  a  sail  I ' 

"  Three  cheers  for  victory ! 
Hush'd  be  each  plaint  o'er  fallen  brave; 

Still  ev'ry  sigh  to  messmate  given  ; 
The  seaman's  tomb  is  in  the  wave  ; 

The  hero's  latest  hope  is  heaven  ! 
High  lift  the  voice  in  revelry  ! 
Gay  raise  the  song,  the  shout,  the  glee ; 

Three  cheers  for  victory  !" 

When  he  had  ended  the  song,  and  without  waiting  to  lis- 
ten if  any  words  of  compliment  were  to  succeed  an  effort 
that  might  lay  claim  to  great  excellence  both  in  tones  and 
execution,  he  arose ;  and,  desiring  his  guests  to  command 
the  services  of  his  band  at  pleasure,  he  wished  them  "  soft 
repose  and  pleasant  dreams,"  and  coolly  descended  into  the 
lower  apartments,  apparently  for  the  night.  Mrs.  Wyllys 
and  pertrude,  notwithstanding  they  had  been  amused,  or 
rather  seduced,  by  the  interest  thrown  around  a  manner  that 
was  so  wayward,  while  it  was  never  gross,  felt  a  sensation 
as  he  disappeared,  like  that  produced  by  breathing  a  freer 
air,  after  having  been  too  long  compelled  to  respire  the  pent 
atmosphere  of  a  dungeon.  The  former  regarded  her  pupil 
with  eyes  in  which  open  affection  struggled  with  inward 
solicitude;  but  neither  spoke,  since  a  slight  movement  near 
the  door  of  the  cabin  reminded  them  that  they  were  not  yet 
alone. 

"Would  you  have  further  music,  madam?"  asked  Rod- 
erick, stealing  timidly  out  of  the  shadow  as  he  spoke;  "I 
will  sing  you  to  sleep,  if  you  will ;  but  I  am  choked  when 
he  bids  me  to  be  merry  against  my  feelings." 

The  brow  of  the  governess  contracted,  and  she  was  evi- 
dently preparing  herself  to  give  a  stern  and  repulsive 
answer;  but  the  plaintive  tones,  and  shrinking,  submissive 


THE  RED  ROVER. 

form  of  the  other  pleaded  so  strongly  to  her  heart  that  the 
frown  passed  away,  leaving  in  its  place  the  reproving  look 
which  chastens  the  frown  of  maternal  concern. 

"  Roderick,"  she  said,  "  I  thought  we  should  have  seen 
thee  no  more  to-night!" 

"  You  heard  the  gong.  Although  he  can  be  so  gay,  and 
can  raise  such  thrilling  sounds  in  his  pleasanter  moments, 
you  have  never  yet  listened  to  him  in  anger." 

"Is  his  anger  so  very  fearful?" 

"Perhaps  to  me  it  is  more  frightful  than  to  others;  but  I 
find  nothing  so  terrible  as  a  word  of  his,  when  his  mind  is 
moody." 

"Is  he  then  harsh  to  thee?" 

"  Never." 

"  You  contradict  yourself,  Roderick.  He  is,  and  he  is  not. 
Have  you  not  said  how  terrible  you  find  his  moody  language? 

"  Yes ;  for  I  find  it  changed.  Once  he  was  never  thought- 
ful or  out  of  humor,  but  latterly  he  is  not  himself." 

Mrs.  Wyllys  did  not  answer.  The  language  of  the  boy 
was  certainly  much  more  intelligible  to  her  than  to  her 
attentive,  but  unsuspecting  companion;  for,  while  she  mo- 
tioned to  the  lad  to  retire,  Gertrude  manifested  a  desire  to 
gratify  the  curious  interest  she  felt  in  the  life  and  manners 
of  the  freebooter.  The  signal,  however,  was  authoritatively 
repeated,  and  the  lad  slowly,  and  with  reluctance,  withdrew. 

The  governess  and  her  pupil  then  retired  into  their 
own  stateroom;  and,  after  devoting  many  minutes  to  those 
nightly  offerings  and  petitions  which  neither  ever  suffered 
any  circumstances  to  cause  them  to  neglect,  they  slept  in 
the  consciousness  of  innocence,  and  in  the  hope  of  an  all- 
powerful  protection.  Though  the  bell  of  the  ship  regularly 
sounded  the  hours  throughout  the  watches  of  the  night, 
scarcely  another  sound  arose,  during  the  darkness,  to  dis- 
turb the  calm  which  seemed  to  have  settled  equally  on  the 
ocean  and  all  that  floated  on.  its  bosom. 


360  THE   RED    ROVER. 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

But,  for  the  miracle, 

I  mean  our  preservation,  few  in  millions 
Can  speak  like  us. 

Tempest. 

DURING  these  moments  of  treacherous  calm,  the  Dolphin 
might  have  been  likened  to  a  slumbering  beast  of  prey.  But 
as  nature  limits  the  periods  of  repose  to  the  creatures  of  the 
animal  world,  so  it  would  seem  that  the  inactivity  of  the 
freebooters  was  not  doomed  to  any  long  continuance.  With 
the  morning  sun  a  breeze  came  across  the  water,  breathing 
the  flavor  of  the  land,  and  setting  the  sluggish  ship  again 
in  motion.  Throughout  all  that  day,  with  a  wide  reach  of 
canvas  spreading  along  her  booms,  her  course  was  held 
towards  the  south.  Watch  succeeded  watch,  and  night  came 
after  day,  and  still  no  change  was  made  in  her  direction. 
Then  the  blue  islands  were  seen  heaving  up,  one  after 
another,  out  of  the  sea.  The  prisoners  of  the  Rover,  for 
thus  the  females  were  now  constrained  to  consider  them- 
selves, silently  watched  each  hillock  of  green  that  the  vessel 
glided  past,  each  naked  and  sandy  key,  or  each  mountain- 
side, until,  by  the  calculations  of  the  governess,  they  were 
already- steering  amid  the  western  Archipelago. 

During  all  this  time  no  question  was  asked  which  in  the 
smallest  manner  betrayed  to  the  Rover  the  consciousness  of 
his  guests  that  he  was  not  conducting  them  towards  the 
promised  port  of  the  continent.  Gertrude  wept  for  the  sor- 
row of  her  father;  but  her  tears  flowed  in  private,  or  were 
poured  upon  the  bosom  of  her  governess.  Wilder  she 
avoided,  with  an  intuitive  consciousness  that  he  was  no 
longer  the  character  she  had  wished  to  believe ;  but  to  all 
in  the  ship  she  struggled  to  maintain  an  equal  air  and  a 
serene  eye.  In  this  deportment,  safer  than  any  impotent 
entreaties  might  have  proved,  she  was  strongly  supported 


THE   RED    ROVER.  361 

by  her  governess,  whose  knowledge  of  mankind  had  early 
taught  her  that  virtue  was  never  so  imposing  as  when  it 
knew  best  how  to  maintain  its  equanimity.  On  the  other 
hand,  both  the  commander  of  the  ship  and  his  lieutenant 
sought  no  other  communication  with  the  inmates  of  the 
cabin  than  courtesy  appeared  absolutely  to  require. 

The  former,  as  if  repenting  already  of  having  laid  so  bare 
the  capricious  humors  of  his  mind,  withdrew  gradually  into 
himself,  neither  seeking  nor  permitting  familiarity  with 
any;  while  the  latter  appeared  perfectly  conscious  of  the 
constrained  mien  of  the  governess,  and  of  the  altered  though 
still  pitying  eye  of  her  pupil.  Little  explanation  was  nec- 
essary to  acquaint  Wilder  with  the  reasons  of  this  change. 
Instead  of  seeking  the  means  to  vindicate  his  character, 
however,  he  rather  imitated  their  reserve.  Little  else  was 
wanting  to  assure  his  former  friends  of  the  nature  of  his 
pursuits;  for  even  Mrs.  Wyllys  admitted  to  her  charge  that 
he  acted  like  one  in  whom  depravity  had  not  yet  made  such 
progress  as  to  have  destroyed  that  consciousness  which  is 
ever  the  surest  test  of  innocence. 

We  shall  not  detain  the  narrative  to  dwell  upon  the 
natural  regrets  in  which  Gertrude  indulged,  as  this  sad  con- 
viction forced  itself  upon  her  understanding,  nor  to  relate 
the  gentle  wishes  in  which  she  did  not  think  it  wrong  to 
indulge,  that  one,  who  certainly  was  master  of  so  many 
manly  and  generous  qualities  might  be  made  to  see  the 
error  of  his  life,  arid  to  return  to  a  course  for  which  even 
her  cold  and  nicely  judging  governess  allowed  nature  had 
eminently  endowed  him.  The  kind  emotions  that  had  been 
awakened  in  her  bosom  by  the  events  of  the  last  fortnight 
were  not  content  to  exhibit  themselves  in  wishes  alone; 
and  that  petitions  more  personal,  and  even  more  fervent 
than  common,  mingled  in  her  prayers;  but  this  is  a  veil 
which  it  is  not  our  province  to  raise,  the  heart  of  one  so 
pure  and  so  ingenuous  being  the  best  repository  for  its  own 
gentle  feelings. 


362  THE    RED    ROVER. 

For  several  days  the  ship  had  been  contending  with  the 
unvarying  winds  of  those  regions.  Instead  of  struggling, 
however,  like  a  cumbered  trader,  to  gain  some  given  port, 
the  Rover  suddenly  altered  her  course,  gliding  through  one 
of  the  many  passages  that  intersect  the  islands,  with  the 
ease  of  a  bird  that  is  settling  to  its  nest.  A  hundred  differ- 
ent sails  were  seen,  but  all  were  avoided  alike;  the  policy 
of  the  freebooters  teaching  them  the  necessity  of  modera- 
tion, in  a  sea  so  crowded  with  vessels  of  war.  After  the 
vessel  had  shot  through  one  of  the  straits  which  divide  the 
chain  of  the  Antilles,  it  issued  in  safety  on  the  more  open 
sea  which  separates  them  from  the  Spanish  Main.  The 
moment  the  passage  was  effected,  and  a  broad  and  clear 
horizon  was  seen  stretching  on  every  side  of  them,  a  mani- 
fest alteration  occurred  in  the  mien  of  every  individual  of 
the  crew.  The  brow  of  the  Rover  himself  lost  the  look  of 
care,  which  had  wrapped  the  whole  man  in  a  mantle  of 
reserve,  and  his  reserve  disappeared,  leaving  him  the  reck- 
less, wayward  being  we  have  described.  Even  the  men, 
whose  vigilance  had  needed  no  quickening  in  running  the 
gauntlet  of  the  cruisers  which  were  known  to  swarm  in  the 
narrower  seas,  appeared  to  breathe  a  freer  air,  and  sounds  of 
merriment  and  thoughtless  gayety  were  once  more  heard  in 
a  place  over  which  the  gloom  of  distrust  had  been  so  long 
and  so  heavily  cast. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  governess  saw  new  ground  for 
uneasiness  in  the  course  the  vessel  was  taking.  While  the 
islands  were  in  view,  she  had  hoped  that  their  captor  only 
waited  a  suitable  occasion  to  place  them  in  safety  within 
the  influence  of  the  laws  of  some  of  the  colonial  govern- 
ments. Her  own  observation  told  her  there  was  so  much 
of  what  was  once  good,  if  not  noble,  mingled  with  the  law- 
lessness of  the  two  principal  individuals  in  the  vessel, 
that  she  saw  nothing  that  was  visionary  in  such  an  expecta- 
tion. Even  the  tales  of  the  time,  which  recounted  the  des- 
perate acts  of  the  freebooter,  with  wild  and  fanciful  exag- 


THE    RED    ROVER.  363 

gerations,  did  not  forget  to  include  numberless  instances  of 
even  chivalrous  generosity.  In  short,  he  bore  the  character 
of  one  who,  while  he  declared  himself  the  enemy  of  all, 
knew  how  to  distinguish  between  the  weak  and  the  strong, 
and  who  often  found  as  much  gratification  in  repairing  the 
wrongs  of  the  former  as  in  humbling  the  pride  of  the  latter. 

But  all  her  agreeable  anticipations  from  this  quarter  were 
forgotten  when  the  last  island  of  the  group  sank  into  the 
sea  behind  them,  and  the  ship  lay  alone  on  an  empty 
ocean.  As  if  ready  to  throw  aside  his  mask,  the  Rover 
ordered  the  sails  to  be  reduced ;  and,  neglecting  the  favora- 
ble breeze,  the  vessel  was  brought  to  the  wind.  No  object 
calling  for  the  immediate  attention  of  her  crew,  the  Dolphin 
came  to  a  stand,  in  the  midst  of  the  waters,  her  officers  and 
people  abandoning  themselves  to  their  pleasures  or  to  idle- 
ness, as  whim  or  inclination  dictated. 

"I  had  hoped  that  your  convenience  would  have  permitted 
us  to  land  in  some  of  his  majesty's  islands,"  said  Mrs. 
Wyllys,  speaking  for  the  first  time  since  her  suspicions  had 
been  awakened  on  the  subject  of  her  quitting  the  ship,  and 
addressing  her  words  to  the  self-styled  Captain  Heidegger, 
just  after  the  order  to  heave-to  the  vessel  had  been  obeyed. 
"  I  fear  you  find  it  irksome  to  be  so  long  dispossessed  of 
your  cabin." 

"  It  cannot  be  better  occupied,"  he  rather  evasively  re- 
plied; though  the  observant  and  anxious  governess  fancied 
his  eye  was  bolder,  and  his  air  under  less  restraint,  than 
when  she  had  before  dwelt  on  the  same  topic.  "  If  custom 
did  not  require  that  a  ship  should  wear  the  colors  of  some 
people,  mine  should  always  sport  those  of  the  fair." 

"  And,  as  it  is 

"  As  it  is,  I  hoist  the  emblems  that  belong  to  the  service 
I  am  in." 

'*  In  fifteen  days,  that  you  have  been  troubled  with  my 
presence,  it  has  never  been  my  good  fortune  to  see  those, 
colors  set," 


364  THE    RED    ROVER. 

"No!"  exclaimed  the  Rover,  glancing  his  eye  quickly  at 
her,  as  if  to  penetrate  her  thoughts.  "Then  shall  the 
uncertainty  cease  on  the  sixteenth. — Who's  there,  abaft?" 

"  No  one  better  nor  worse  than  Richard  Fid,"  returned 
the  individual  in  question,  lifting  his  head  from  a  locker 
into  which  it  had  been  thrust,  while  its  owner  searched  for 
some  mislaid  implement,  and  who  added  a  little  quickly, 
when  he  ascertained  by  whom  he  was  addressed,  "  Always 
at  your  honor's  orders." 

"  Ah !  'tis  the  friend  of  our  friend,"  the  Rover  observed  to 
Mrs.  Wyllys,  with  an  emphasis  which  the  other  understood. 
"He  shall  be  my  interpreter. — Come  hither,  lad;  I  have  a 
word  to  exchange  with  you." 

"A  thousand  at  your  service,  sir,"  returned  Richard, 
complying,  "for,  though  no  great  talker,  I  have  always 
something  uppermost  in  my  mind  which  can  be  laid  hold  of 
at  need." 

"  I  hope  you  find  that  your  hammock  swings  easily  in  my 
ship?" 

"I'll  not  deny  it,  your  honor;  an  easier  craft,  especially 
upon  a  bowline,  might  be  hard  to  find." 

"  And  the  cruise.  I  hope  you  also  find  the  cruise  such 
as  a  seaman  loves?" 

"  D'ye  see,  sir,  I  was  sent  from  home  with  little  school- 
ing, and  so  I  seldom  make  so  free  as  to  pretend  to  read  the 
captain's  orders." 

"  But  still  you  have  your  inclinations,"  said  Mrs.  Wyllys 
firmly,  determined  to  push  the  investigation  even  further 
than  her  companion  had  intended. 

"I  can't  say  that  I'm  wanting  in  natural  feeling,  your 
ladyship,"  returned  Fid,  endeavoring  to  manifest  his  ad- 
miration of  the  sex,  by  the  awkward  bow  he  made  to  the 
governess  as  its  representative,  "  tho'f  crosses  and  mishaps 
have  come  athwart  me  as  well  as  better  men.  I  thought  as 
strong  a  splice  was  laid  between  me  and  Kate  Whiffle  as 
was  ever  turned  into  a  sheet  cable ;  but  then  came  the  law, 


THE    RED    ROVER.  36$ 

with  its  regulations  and  shipping  articles,  luffing  short 
athwart  my  happiness,  and  making  a  wreck  at  once  of  all 
the  poor  girl's  hopes,  and  giving  but  a  Flemish  account  of 
my  comfort." 

"  It  was  proved  that  she  had  another  husband  1"  dryly 
remarked  the  Rover. 

"  Four,  your  honor.  The  girl  had  a  love  of  company  and 
i-t  grieved  her  to  the  heart  to  see  an  empty  house;  but  then, 
as  it  was  seldom  more  than  one  of  us  could  be  in  port  at  a 
time,  there  was  no  such  need  to  make  the  noise  they  did 
about  the  trifle.  But  envy  did  it  all,  sir;  envy,  and  the 
greediness  of  the  landsharks.  Had  every  woman  in  the 
parish  as  many  husbands  as  Kate,  the  devil  a  bit  would  they 
have  taken  up  the  precious  time  of  judge  and  jury,  in  look- 
ing into  the  matter  in  which  a  wench  like  her  kept  a  quiet 
household." 

,"And,  since  that  unfortunate  repulse,  you  have  kept 
yourself  altogether  out  of  the  bands  of  matrimony?" 

"Ay,  ay;  since,  your  honor,"  returned  Fid,  giving  his 
commander  another  of  those  droll  looks,  in  which  a  pecul- 
iar cunning  struggled  with  a  more  direct  straightgoing 
honesty;"  since,  as  you  say  rightly,  sir;  though  they  talked 
of  a  small  matter  of  a  bargain  that  I  had  made  with  another 
woman,  myself;  but,  in  overhauling  the  affair,  they  found 
that,  as  the  shipping  articles  with  poor  Kate  wouldn't  hold 
together,  why,  they  could  make  nothing  at  all  of  me;  so  I 
was  whitewashed  like  a  queen's  parlor,  and  sent  adrift." 

"  And  all  this  occurred  after  your  acquaintance  with 
Mr.  Wilder?" 

"  Afore,  your  honor,  afore.  I  was  but  a  younker  in  the 
time  of  it,  seeing  that  it  is  four-and-twenty  years,  come  May 
next,  since  I  have  been  towing  at  the  stern  of  Master 
Harry.  But  then,  as  I  have  had  a  sort  of  family  of  my  own 
since  that  day,  why,  the  less  need,  you  know,  to  be  berthing 
myself  again  in  any  other  man's  hammock." 

"  You  were  saying  it  is  four-and-twenty  years,"  interrupted 


366  THE    RED    ROVER. 

Mrs.  Wyllys,  "since  you  made  the  acquaintance  of  Mr. 
Wilder?" 

"Acquaintance!  Lord,  my  lady,  little  did  he  know  of 
acquaintances  at  that  time ;  though,  bless  him !  the  lad  has 
had  occasion  to  remember  it  often  enough  since.''' 

"  The  meeting  of  two  men  of  so  singular  merit  must  have 
been  somewhat  remarkable?"  observed  the  Rover. 

"It  was  for  that  matter  remarkable  enough,  your  honor; 
though,  as  to  the  merit,  notwithstanding  Master  Harry  is  of- 
ten for  overhauling  that  part  of  the  account,  I've  set  it  down 
for  just  nothing  at  all." 

"  I  confess,  that,  in  a  case  where  two  men,  both  of  whom 
are  so  well  qualified  to  judge,  are  of  different  opinions,  I 
feel  at  a  loss  to  know  which  can  have  the  right.  Perhaps, 
by  the  aid  of  the  facts,  I  might  form  a  truer  judgment." 

"  Your  honor  forgets  the  Guinea,  who  is  altogether  of  my 
mind  in  the  matter,  seeing  no  great  merit  in  the  thing  either. 
But,  as  you  are  saying,  sir,  reading  the  log  is  the  only  true 
way  to  know  how  fast  a  ship  can  go;  and  so,  if  this  lady  and 
your  honor  have  a  mind  to  come  at  the  truth  of  the  affair, 
why,  you  have  only  to  say  as  much,  and  I  will  put  it  all  be- 
fore you  in  creditable  language." 

"There  is  reason  in  this  proposition,"  returned  the 
Rover,  motioning  to  his  companion  to  follow  to  a  part  of 
the  poop  where  they  were  less  exposed  to  the  observations 
of  inquisitive  eyes.  "  Now,  place  the  whole  clearly  before 
us;  and  then  you  may  consider  the  merits  of  the  question 
disposed  of  definitively." 

Fid  was  far  from  discovering  the  smallest  reluctance  to 
enter  on  the  required  detail;  and,  by  the  time  he  had 
cleared  his  throat,  freshened  his  supply  of  the  weed,  and 
otherwise  disposed  himself  to  proceed,  Mrs.  Wyllys  had  so 
far  conquered  her  reluctance  to  pry  clandestinely  into  the 
secrets  of  others,  as  to  yield  to  a  curiosity  she  found  uncon- 
querable, and  to  take  the  seat  to  which  her  companion  in- 
vited her  by  a  gesture  of  his  hand. 


THE   RED    ROVER.  367 

"  I  was  sent  early  to  sea,  your  honor,  by  my  father,"  com- 
menced Fid,  after  these  little  preliminaries  had  been  ob- 
served, "  who  was,  like  myself,  a  man  that  passed  more  of 
his  time  on  the  water  than  on  dry  ground;  though,  as  he 
was  nothing  more  than  a  fisherman,  he  generally  kept  the 
land  aboard;  which  is,  after  all,  little  better  than  living  on 
it  altogether.  Howsomever,  when  I  went,  I  made  a  broad 
offing  at  once,  fetching  up  on  the  o'ther  side  of  the  Horn 
the  very  first  passage  I  made ;  which  was  no  small  journey 
for  a  new  beginner;  but  then,  as  I  was  only  eight  years 
old " 

"Eight!  you  are  speaking  of  yourself,"  interrupted  the 
disappointed  governess. 

"Certain  madam;  and,  though  genteeler  people  might  be 
talked  of,  it  would  be  hard  to  turn  the  conversation  on  any 
man  who  knows  better  how  to  rig  or  how  to  strip  a  ship.  I 
was  beginning  at  the  right  end  of  my  story;  but,  as  1  fan- 
cied your  ladyship  might  not  choose  to  waste  time  in  hear- 
ing concerning  my  father  and  mother,  I  cut  the  matter  short 
by  striking  in  at  eight  years  old,  overlooking  all  about  my 
birth  and  name,  and  such  other  matters  as  are  usually 
logged  in  your  everyday  narratives." 

"  Proceed,"  she  rejoined,  resorting  to  a  compelled  resigna- 
tion. 

"  My  mind  is  pretty  much  like  a  ship  that  is  about  to 
slip  off  its  ways,"  resumed  Fid.  "  If  she  makes  a  fair  start, 
and  there  is  neither  jam  nor  dry-rub,  smack  she  goes  into 
the  water  like  a  sail  let  run  in  a  calm ;  but  if  she  once 
brings  up,  a  good  deal  of  labor  is  to  be  gone  through  to  set 
her  in  motion  again.  Now,  in  order  to  wedge  up  my  ideas, 
and  to  get  the  story  slushed  so  that  I  can  slip  through  it 
with  ease,  it  is  needful  to  overrun  the  part  which  I  have 
just  let  go;  which  is,  how  my  father  was  a  fisherman,  and 
how  I  doubled  the  Horn. — Ah!  here  I  have  it  again,  clear 
of  kinks,  fake  above  fake,  like  a  well-coiled  cable;  so  that 
J  can  pay  it  out  as  easliy  as  the  boatswain's  yeoman  can  lay 


368  THE    RED    ROVER. 

his  hand  on  a  bit  of  ratling-stuff.  Well,  I  doubled  the 
Horn,  as  I  was  saying,  and  it  might  have  been  the  matter  of 
four  years  cruising  about  among  the  islands  and  seas  of 
those  parts,  which  were  none  of  the  best  known  then,  or, 
for  that  matter,  now.  After  this,  I  served  in  his  majesty's 
fleet  a  whole  war,  and  got  three  wounds  and  as  much  honor 
as  I  could  stow  beneath  hatches.  Well,  then  I  fell  in  with 
Guinea — the  black,  my  lady,  that  you  see  turning  in  a  new 
clue-garnet-block  for  the  starboard  clue  of  the  forecourse." 

"  Ay;  then  you  fell  in  with  the  African,"  said  the  Rover. 

"Then  we  made  our  acquaintance;  and  although  his 
color  is  no  whiter  than  the  back  of  a  whale,  I  care  not  who 
knows  it,  after  Master  Harry,  there  is  no  man  living  who  has 
an  honester  way  with  him,  or  in  whose  company  I  take 
greater  satisfaction.  To  be  sure,  your  honor,  the  fellow  is 
sometimes  contradictory,  and  has  a  great  opinion  of  his 
strength,  and  thinks  his  equal  is  not  to  be  found  at  a 
weather-earing,  or  in  the  bunt  of  a  topsail ;  but  then  he  is 
no  better  than  a  black,  and  one  is  not  to  be  too  particular 
in  looking  into  the  faults  of  such  as  are  not  actually  his 
fellow-creatures." 

"  That  would  be  uncharitable  in  the  extreme." 

"  The  very  words  the  chaplain  used  to  let  fly  aboard  the 
Brunswick!  It  is  a  great  thing  to  have  schooling  your 
honor;  since,  if  it  does  nothing  else,  it  fits  a  man  for  a 
boatswain,  and  puts  him  in  the  track  of  steering  the  shortest 
course  to  Heaven.  But,  as  I  was  saying,  there  was  I  and 
Guinea  shipmates,  and  in  a  reasonable  way  friends,  for 
five  years  more;  and  then  the  time  arrived  when  we  met 
with  the  mishap  of  the  wreck  in  the  West  Indies." 

"What  wreck?" 

11 1  beg  your  honor's  pardon ;  I  never  swing  my  head- 
yards  till  I'm  sure  the  ship  won't  luff  back  into  the  wind ; 
and,  before  I  tell  the  particulars  of  the  wreck,  I  will  over- 
run my  ideas,  to  see  nothing  is  forgotten  that  should  of 
right  be  first  mentioned," 


THE    RED    ROVER.  369 

The  Rover,  who  saw,  by  the  expression  of  her  counte- 
nance, how  impatient  his  companion  was  becoming  for  a 
sequel  that  approached  so  tardily,  and  how  much  she 
dreaded  an  interruption,  made  a  significant  sign  to  her  to 
permit  the  straightgoing  tar  to  take  care  of  his  own  course, 
as  the  best  means  of  coming  at  the  facts  they  both  longed 
so  much  to  hear.  Left  to  himself,  Fid  soon  took  the  neces- 
sary review  of  the  transactions,  in  his  own  quaint  manner; 
and,  having  happily  found  that  nothing  which  he  considered 
as  germane  to  the  narrative  was  omitted,  he  proceeded  at 
once  to  the  more  material,  and  what  was  to  his  auditors  by 
far  the  most  interesting  portion  of  his  narrative. 

"Well,  as  I  was  telling  your  honor,"  he  continued, 
"Guinea  was  then  a  maintopman,  and  I  was  stationed  in 
the  same  place  aboard  the  Proserpine,  a  quick-going  two- 
and-thirty,  when  we  fell  in  with  a  bit  of  a  smuggler,  be- 
tween the  islands  and  the  Spanish  Main ;  and  so  the  captain 
made  a  prize  of  her,  and  ordered  her  into  port;  for  which  I 
have  always  supposed,  as  he  was  a  sensible  man,  he  had 
his  orders.  But  this  is  neither  here  nor  there,  seeing  that 
the  craft  had  got  to  the  end  of  her  rope,  and  foundered  in  a 
heavy  hurricane  that  came  over  us,  mayhap  a  couple  of  days' 
run  to  leeward  of  our  haven.  Well,  she  was  a  small  boat; 
and,  as  she  took  it  into  her  mind  to  roll  over  on  her  side 
before  she  went  to  sleep,  the  master's  mate  in  charge  and 
three  others  slid  off  her  decks  to  the  bottom  of  the  sea,  as 
I  have  always  had  reason  to  believe,  never  having  heard 
anything  of  them  since.  It  was  here  that  Guinea  first 
served  me  the  good  turn ;  for,  though  we  had  often  before 
shared  hunger  and  thirst  together,  this  was  the  first  time 
he  ever  jumped  overboard  to  keep  me  from  taking  in  salt 
water  like  a  fish." 

"  He  kept  you  from  drowning  with  the  rest?" 

"  I'll  not  say  just  that  much,  your  honor;  for  there  is  no 
knowing  what  lucky  accident  might  have  done  the  same 
good  turn  for  me.  Howsomever,  seeing  that  I  can  swin?  w+ 
24 


3/O  THE    RED    ROVER. 

better  nor  worse  th^an  a  double-headed  shot,  I  have  always 
been  willing  to  give  the  black  credit  for  as  much,  though 
little  has  ever  been  said  between  us  on  the  subject;  for  no 
other  reason,  as  I  can  see,  than  that  settling-day  has  not 
yet  come.  Well,  we  contrived  to  get  the  boat  afloat,  and 
enough  into  it  to  keep  soul  and  body  together,  and  make 
the  best  of  our  way  for  the  land,  seeing  that  the  cruise  was, 
to  all  useful  purposes,  over  in  that  smuggler.  I  needn't  be 
particular  in  telling  this  lady  of  the  nature  of  boat-duty,  as 
she  has  lately  had  some  experience  in  that  way  herself ;  but 
I  can  tell  her  this  much :  had  it  not  been  for  that  boat  in 
which  the  black  and  myself  spent  the  better  part  of  ten 
days,  she  would  have  fared  but  badly  in  her  own  naviga- 
tion." 

"  Explain  your  meaning." 

"  My  meaning  is  plain  enough,  your  honor,  which  is,  that 
little  else  than  the  handy  way  of  Master  Harry  in  a  boat 
could  have  kept  the  Bristol  trader's  launch  above  water,  the 
day  we  fell  in  with  it." 

"  But  in  what  manner  was  your  own  shipwreck  connected 
with  the  safety  of  Mr.  Wilder?"  demanded  the  governess, 
unable  any  longer  to  await  the  dilatory  explanation  of  the 
prolix  seaman. 

"  In  a  very  plain  and  natural  fashion,  my  lady,  as  you 
will  say  yourself,  when  you  come  to  hear  the  pitiful  part  of 
my  tale.  Well,  there  were  I  and  Guinea  rowing  about  in 
the  ocean,  on  short  allowance  of  all  things  but  work,  for  two 
nights  and  a  day  heading  in  for  the  islands;  for,  though  no 
great  navigators,  we  could  smell  the  land,  and  so  we  pulled 
away  lustily;  for  you  consider  it  was  a  race  in  which  life 
was  the  wager,  until  we  made,  in  the  pride  of  the  morning, 
as  it  might  be  here  at  east-and-by-south,  a  ship  under  bare 
poles;  if  a  vessel  can  be  called  bare  that  had  nothing  better 
than  the  stumps  of  her  three  masts  standing,  and  they  with- 
out rope  or  rag  to  tell  one  her  rig  or  nation.  Howsomever, 
as  there  were  three  naked  sticks  left,  I  have  always  put  her 


THE   RED    ROVER. 

down  for  a  full-rigged  ship;  and  when  we  got  nigh  enough 
to  take  a  look  at  her  hull.  I  made  bold  to  say  she  was  of 
English  build." 

"You  boarded  her?"  observed  the  Rover. 

"  A  small  task  that,  your  honor,  since  a  starved  dog  was 
the  whole  crew  she  could  muster  to  keep  us  off.  It  was  a 
solemn  sight  when  we  got  on  her  flecks,  and  one  that  bears 
hard  on  my  manhood,"  continued  Fid,  with  an  air  that  grew 
more  serious  as  he  proceeded,  "  whenever  I  have  occasion 
to  overhaul  the  logbook  of  memory." 

"You  found  her  people  suffering  of  want?" 

"We  found  a  noble  ship  as  helpless  as  a  halibut  in  a  tub. 
There  she  lay,  a  craft  of  some  four  hundred  tons,  water- 
logged and  motionless  as  a  church.  It  always  gives  me 
great  reflection,  sir,  when  I  see  a  noble  vessel  brought  to 
such  a  strait;  for  one  may  liken  her  to  a  man  who  has  been 
docked  of  his  fins,  and  who  is  getting  to  be  good  for  little 
else  than  to  be  set  upon  a  cathead  to  look  out  for  squalls." 

"The  ship  was  then  deserted?" 

"  Ay,  the  people  had  left  her,  sir,  or  had  been  washed 
away  in  the  gust  that  had  laid  her  over.  I  never  could  come 
at  the  truth  of  the  particulars.  The  dog  had  been  mis- 
chievous, I  conclude,  about  the  decks;  and  so  he  had  been 
lashed  to  a  timber-head,  which  saved  his  life,  since,  happily 
for  him,  he  found  himself  on  the  weather  side  when  the  hull 
righted  a  little,  after  her  spars  gave  way.  Well,  sir,  there 
was  the  dog,  and  not  much  else  as  we  could  see,  though  we 
spent  half  a  day  in  rummaging  round,  in  order  to  pick  up 
any  small  matter  that  might  be  useful ;  but  then,  as  the  en- 
trances to  the  hold  and  cabin  were  full  of  water,  why,  we 
made  no  great  affair  of  the  salvage  after  all." 

"And  then  you  left  the  wreck?" 

"  Not  yet,  your  honor.  While  knocking  about  among  the 
bits  of  rigging  and  lumber  above  board  says  Guinea,  says 
he,  'Mister  Dick,  I  hear  some  one  making  their  plaints 
below.'  Now,  I  had  heard  +he  same  noises  myself,  sir;  but 


3/2  THE    RED    ROVER. 

had  set  them  down  as  the  spirits  of  the  people  moaning  over 
their  losses,  and  had  said  nothing  of  the  same,  for  fear  of 
stirring  up  the  superstition  of  the  black ;  for  the  best  of  them 
are  no  better  than  superstitious  niggers,  my  lady;  so  I  said 
nothing  of  what  I  had  heard,  until  he  saw  fit  to  broach  the 
subject  himself.  Then  we  both  turned  to  listening  with  a 
will,  and  sure  enough  the  groans  began  to  take  a  human 
sound.  It  was  a  good  while,  howsomever,  before  I  could 
make  up  whether  it  was  anything  more  than  the  complain- 
ing of  the  hulk  itself;  for  you  know,  my  lady,  that  a  ship 
which  is  about  to  sink  makes  her  lamentations  just  like  any 
other  living  thing." 

"I  do,  I  do,"  returned  the  governess,  shuddering;  "I 
have  heard  them,  and  never  will  memory  lose  the  recollec- 
tion of  the  sounds!" 

"  Ay,  I  thought  you  might  know  something  of  the  same, 
and  solemn  groans  they  are;  but  as  the  hulk  kept  rolling 
on  the  top  of  the  sea,  and  no  further  signs  of  her  going 
down,  I  began  to  think  it  best  to  cut  into  her  abaft,  in  order 
to  make  sure  that  some  miserable  wretch  had  not  been 
caught  in  his  hammock,  at  the  time  she  went  over.  Well, 
good  will  and  an  axe  soon  let  us  into  the  secret  of  the 
moans." 

"You  found  a  child?" 

"  And  its  mother,  my  lady.  As  good  luck  would  have  it, 
they  were  in  a  berth  on  the  weather  side,  and  as  yet  the  water 
had  not  reached  them ;  but  pent  air  and  hunger  had  nearly 
proved  as  bad  as  the  brine.  The  lady  was  in  the  agony 
when  we  got  her  out;  and  as  to  the  boy,  proud  and  strong 
as  you  now  see  him  there  on  yonder  gun,  my  lady,  he  was 
just  so  miserable,  that  it  was  no  small  matter  to  make  him 
swallow  the  drop  of  wine  and  water  that  the  Lord  had  left 
us,  in  order,  as  I  have  often  thought  since,  to  bring  him  up 
to  be,  as  he  at  this  moment  is,  the  pride  of  the  ocean !" 

"But  the  mother?" 

"  The  mother  had  given  the  only  morsel  of  biscuit  she 


THE  R£D  ROVER.  373 

had  to  the  child,  and  was  dying  in  order  that  the  urchin 
might  live.  I  never  could  get  rightly  into  the  meaning  of 
the  thing,  my  lady,  why  a  woman,  who  is  no  better  than  a 
Lascar  in  matters  of  strength,  nor  any  better  than  a  booby 
in  respect  of  courage,  should  be  able  to  let  go  her  hold  of 
life  in  this  quiet  fashion,  when  many  a  stout  mariner  would 
be  righting  for  each  mouthful  of  ai,r  the  Lord  might  see  fit 
to  give.  But  there  she  was,  white  as  the  sail  on  which  the 
storm  had  long  beaten,  and  limber  as  a  pennant  in  a  calm, 
with  her  poor  skinny  arm  around  the  lad,  holding  in  her 
hand  the  very  mouthful  that  might  have  kept  her  own  soul 
in  the  body  a  little  longer." 

"  What  did  she,  when  you  brought  her  to  the  light?" 

"What  did  she!"  repeated  Fid,  whose  voice  was  getting 
thick  and  husky,  "why,  she  did  a  d — d  honest  thing:  she 
gave  the  boy  the  crumb,  and  motioned,  as  well  as  a  dying 
woman  could  motion,  that  we  should  have  an  eye  over  him 
till  the  cruise  of  life  was  up." 

"And  was  that  all? " 

"  I  have  always  thought  she  prayed;  for  something  passed 
between  her  and  one  who  was  not  to  be  seen,  if  a  man  might 
judge  by  the  fashion  in  which  her  eyes  were  turned  aloft 
and  her  lips  moved.  I  hope,  among  others,  she  put  in  a 
good  word  for  Richard  Fid ;  for  certain  she  had  as  little  need 
to  be  asking  for  herself  as  anybody.  But  no  man  will  ever 
know  what  she  said,  seeing  that  her  mouth  was  shut  from 
that  time  forever  after." 

"She  died?" 

"  Sorry  am  I  to  say  it.  But  the  poor  lady  was  past  swal- 
lowing when  she  came  into  our  hands,  and  then  it  was  but 
little  we  had  to  offer  her.  A  quart  of  water,  with  mayhap 
a  gill  of  wine,  a  biscuit,  and  a  handful  of  rice,  with  no 
great  allowance  for  two  hearty  men  to  pull  a  boat  some 
seventy  leagues  within  the  tropics.  Howsomever,  when  we 
found  no  more  was  to  be  got  from  the  wreck,  and  that,  since 
the  air  had  escaped  by  the  hole  we  had  cut,  she  was  settling 


374  THE    RED*  ROVER. 

fast,  we  thought  it  best  to  get  out  of  her ;  and  sure  enough 
we  were  none  too  soon,  seeing  that  she  went  under  just  as 
we  had  twitched  the  jolly-boat  clear  of  the  suction." 

"And  the  boy — the  deserted  child!"  exclaimed  the  gov- 
erness, whose  eyes  had  now  filled  to  overflowing. 

"  There  you  are  all  aback,  my  lady.  Instead  of  deserting 
him,  we  'brought  him  away  with  us,  as  we  did  the  only  other 
living  creature  to  be  found  about  the  wreck.  But  we  had 
still  a  long  journey  before  us,  and,  to  make  the  matter 
worse,  we  were  out  of  the  track  of  the  traders.  So  I  put  it 
down  as  a  case  for  a  council  of  all  hands,  which  was  no 
more  than  I  and  the  black,  since  the  lad  was  too  weak  to 
talk,  and  little  could  he  have  said  otherwise  in  our  situa- 
tion. So  I  begun  myself,  saying,  says  I,  'Guinea,  we  must 
either  eat  this  here  dog  or  this  here  boy.  If  we  eat  the 
boy,  we  shall  be  no  better  than  the  people  in  your  own 
country,'  who,  you  know,  my  lady,  are  cannibals,  'but  if  we 
eat  the  dog,  poor  as  he  is,  we  may  make  out  to  keep  soul 
and  body  together,  and  to  give  the  child  the  other  matters.' 
So  Guinea,  he  says,  says  he,  'I've  no  occasion  for  food  at 
all;  give  em  to  the  boy,' says  he, 'seeing  that  he  is  .little 
and  has  need  of  strength.'  Howsomever,  Master  Harry 
took  no  great  fancy  to  the  dog,  which  we  soon  finished  be- 
tween us,  for  the  plain  reason  that  he  was  so  thin.  After 
that,  we  had  a  hungry  time  of  it  ourselves ;  for,  had  we  not 
kept  up  life  in  the  lad,  you  know,  there  was  so  little  of  it 
that  it  would  soon  have  slipped  through  our  fingers." 

"And  you  fed  the  child,  though  fasting  yourselves?" 

"  No,  we  weren't  altogether  idle,  my  lady,  seeing  that  we 
kept  our  teeth  jogging  on  the  skin  of  the  dog,  though  I  will 
not  say  that  the  food  was  over-savory;  and  then,  as  we  had 
no  occasion  to  lose  time  in  eating,  we  kept  the  oars  going  so 
much  the  livelier.  Well,  we  got  in  at  one  of  the  islands 
after  a  time,  though  neither  I  nor  the  nigger  had  much 
to  boast  of  as  to  strength  or  weight  when  we  made  the  first 
kitchen  we  fell  in  with." 


THE  R£D  ROVER.  375 

"And  the  child?" 

"  Oh !  he  was  doing  well  enough ;  for,  as  the  doctors  after- 
wards told  us,  the  short  allowance  on  which  he  was  put  did 
him  no  harm." 

"You  sought  his  friends?" 

"  Why,  as  for  that  matter,  my  lady,  so  far  as  I  have  been 
able  to  discover,  he  was  with  his  JDest  friends  already.  We 
had  neither  chart  nor  bearings  by  which  we  knew  how  to 
steer  in  search  of  his  family.  His  name  he  called  Master 
Harry,  by  which  it  is  clear  he  was  a  gentleman  born,  as 
indeed  any  one  may  see  by  looking  at  him;  but  not  another 
word  could  I  learn  of  his  relations  or  country,  except  that, 
as  he  spoke  the  English  language  and  was  found  in  an 
English  ship,  there  is  a  natural  reason  to  believe  he  is  of 
English  build  himself." 

"Did  you  not  learn  the  name  of  the  ship?"  demanded 
the  attentive  Rover,  in  whose  countenance  the  traces  of  a 
lively  interest  were  very  distinctly  discernible. 

"  Why,  as  to  that  matter,  your  honor,  schools  were  scarce 
in  my  part  of  the  country;  and  in  Africa,  you  know,  there 
is  no  great  matter  of  learning;  so  that,  had  her  name  been 
out  of  water,  which  it  was  not,  we  might  have  been  bothered 
to  read  it.  Howsomever,  there  was  a  horse-bucket  kicking 
about  her  decks,  and  which,  as  luck  would  have  it,  got 
jammed  in  with  the  pumps  in  such  a  fashion  that  it  did  not 
go  overboard  until  we  took  it  with  us.  Well,  this  bucket 
had  a  name  painted  on  it;  and,  after  we  had  leisure  for  the 
thing,  I  got  Guinea,  who  has  a  natural  turn  at  tattooing,  to 
rub  it  into  my  arm  in  gunpowder,  as  the  handiest  way  of 
logging  these  small  particulars.  Your  honor  shall  see  what 
the  black  has  made  of  it." 

So  saying,  Fid  very  coolly  doffed  his  jacket,  and  laid 
bare  to  the  elbow  one  of  his  brawny  arms,  on  which  the  blue 
impression  was  still  very  plainly  visible.  Although  the 
letters  were  rudely  imitated,  it  was  not  difficult  to  read,  in 
the  skin,  the  words  "Ark,  of  Lynnhaven." 


3/6  THE  RED  ROVER. 

"  Here,  then,  you  had  a  clew  at  once  to  find  the  relatives 
of  the  boy,"  observed  the  Rover,  after  he  had  deciphered 
the  letters. 

"It  seems  not,  your  honor;  for  we  took  the  child  with 
us  aboard  the  Proserpine,  and  our  worthy  captain  carried 
sail  hard  after  the  people;  but  no  one  could  give  any  tid- 
ings of  such  a  craft  as  the  'Ark,  of  Lynnhaven';  and,  after  a 
twelvemonth  or  more,  we  were  obliged  to  give  up  the  chase." 

"Could  the  child  give  no  account  of  his  friends?"  de- 
manded the  governess. 

.  "But  little,  my  lady;  for  the  reason  that  he  knew  but 
little  about  himself.  So  we  gave  the  matter  over  altogether; 
I  and  Guinea,  and  the  captain,  and  all  of  us,  turning-to 
educate  the  boy.  He  got  his  seamanship  of  the  black  and 
myself,  and  mayhap  some  little  of  his  manners  also;  and 
his  navigation  and  Latin  of  the  captain,  who  proved  his 
friend  till  such  a  time  as  he  was  able  to  take  care  of  him- 
self, and,  for  that  matter,  some  years  afterwards." 

"  And  how  long  did  Mr.  Wilder  continue  in  a  king's 
ship?"  asked  the  Rover,  in  a  careless  and  apparently  an 
indifferent  manner. 

"Long  enough  to  learn  all  that  is  taught  there,  your 
honor,"  was  the  evasive  reply. 

"He  came  to  be  an  officer,  I  suppose?" 

"  If  he  didn't,  the  king  had  the  worst  of  the  bargain.  But 
what  is  this  I  see  hereaway,  atween  the  backstay  and  the 
vang?  It  looks  like  a  sail !  or  is  it  only  a  gull  flapping  his 
wings  before  he  rises?" 

"  Sail,  ho !"  called  the  lookout  from  the  masthead.  "  Sail, 
ho !"  was  echoed  from  top  and  deck ;  the  glittering  though  dis- 
tant object  having  struck  a  dozen  vigilant  eyes  at  the  same  in- 
stant. The  Rover  was  compelled  to  lend  his  attention  to  a 
summons  so  often  repeated ;  and  Fid  profited  by  the  circum- 
stance to  quit  the  poop,  with  the  hurry  of  one  who  was  not  sorry 
for  the  interruption.  Then  the  governess  arose  too,  and, 
thoughtful  and  melancholy,  she  sought  the  privacy  of  her 
cabin. 


THE   RED    ROVER.  377 


CHAPTER    XXV. 

Their  preparation  is  to-day  by  sea. 

Antony  and  Cleopatra. 

"  SAIL,  hoi"  in  the  little  frequented  sea  in  which  the  Rover 
lay  was  a  cry  that  quickened  every  pulsation  in  the  bosoms 
of  her  crew.  Many  weeks  had  now,  according  to  their 
method  of  calculation,  been  entirely  lost  in  the  visionary 
and  profitless  plans  of  their  chief.  They  were  not  of  a  tem- 
per to  reason  on  the  fatality  which  had  forced  the  Bristol 
trader  from  their  toils;  it  was  enough,  for  their  rough  na- 
tures, that  the  rich  spoil  had  escaped  them.  Without 
examining  into  the  causes  of  this  loss,  they  were  disposed 
to  visit  their  disappointment  on  the  head  of  the  innocent 
officer  who  had  been  charged  with  the  care  of  a  vessel  that 
they  already  considered  a  prize.  Here,  then,  was  at  length 
an  opportunity  to  repair  their  loss.  The  stranger  was  about 
to  encounter  them  in  a  part  of  the  ocean  where  succor  was 
nearly  hopeless,  and  where  time  might  be  afforded  to  profit 
to  the  utmost  by  any  success  that  the  freebooters  should 
obtain.  Every  man  in  the  ship  seemed  sensible  of  these 
advantages ;  and,  as  the  words  sounded  from  mast  to  yard, 
and  from  yard  to  deck,  they  were  taken  up  in  cheerful 
echoes  from  fifty  mouths,  which  repeated  the  cry  until  it 
was  heard  issuing  from  the  inmost  recesses  of  the  vessel. 

The  Rover  himself  manifested  unusual  satisfaction  at 
this  new  prospect  of  a  capture.  He  was  quite  aware  of  the 
necessity  of  some  brilliant  or  of  some  profitable  exploit,  to 
curb  the  rising  tempers  of  his  men ;  and  long  experience 
had  taught  him  that  he  could  draw  the  cords  of  discipline 
the  tightest  in  moments  that  appeared  the  most  to  require 
the  exercise  of  his  own  high  courage  and  consummate  skill. 
He  walked  forward,  therefore,  among  his  people,  with  a 
countenance  that  was  no  longer  buried  in  reserve,  speaking 


3/8  THE   RED    ROVER. 

to  several,  whom  he  addressed  by  name,  and  of  whom  he 
did  not  even  disdain  to  ask  opinions  concerning  the  char- 
acter of  the  distant  sail.  When  a  sort  of  implied  assurance 
that  their  recent  offences  were  overlooked  had  thus  been 
given,  he  summoned  Wilder,  the  general,  and  one  or  two 
others  of  the  superior  officers,  to  the  poop,  where  they  all 
disposed  themselves  to  make  more  ^particular  and  more 
certain  observations,  by  the  aid  of  a  half-dozen  excellent 
glasses. 

Many  minutes  were  now  passed  in  intense  scrutiny.  The 
day  was  cloudless,  the  wind  fresh  without  being  heavy,  the 
sea  long,  even,  and  far  from  high,  and,  in  short,  all  things 
combined,  as  far  as  is  ever  seen  on  the  restless  ocean,  not 
only  to  aid  their  examination,  but  to  favor  those  subsequent 
evolutions  which  each  instant  rendered  more  probable  would 
become  necessary. 

"It  is  a  ship!"  said  the  Rover,  lowering  his  glass,  the 
first  to  proclaim  the  result  of  the  long  inspection. 

"It  is  a  ship!"  echoed  the  general,  across  whose  weath- 
er-worn features  a  ray  of  something  like  satisfaction  was 
making  an  effort  to  shine. 

"A  full-rigged  ship!"  continued  a  third,  relieving  his 
eye  in  turn,  and  answering  the  grim  smile  of  the  soldier. 

"There  must  be  something  to  hold  up  all  those  lofty 
spars,"  resumed  their  commander.  "  A  hull  of  price  is 
beneath. — But  you  say  nothing,  Mr.  Wilder!  You  make  her 
out " 

"A  ship  of  size,"  returned  our  adventurer,  who,  though 
silent,  had  been  far  from  the  least  interested  in  his  investi- 
gations. 'Does  my  glass  deceive  me — or " 

"Or  what,  sir?" 

"  I  see  her  to  the  heads  of  her  courses." 

"You  see  her  as  I  do.  It  is  a  tall  ship,  on  an  easy  bow- 
line, with  everything  set  that  will  draw.  And  she  is 
standing  hitherward.  Her  lower  sails  have  lifted  within 
five  minutes." 


THE    RED    ROVER.  379 

"  I  thought  as  much.     But " 

"But  what,  sir?  There  can  be  little  doubt _ but  she  is 
heading  north-and-by-east.  Since  she  is  so  kind  as  to 
spare  us  the  pains  of  a  chase,  we  will  not  hurry  our  move- 
ments. Let  her  come  on.  How  like  you  the  manner  of  the 
stranger's  advance,  general?" 

"Unmilitary,  but  enticing!  There  is  a  look  of  the 
mines  about  her  very  royals." 

"  And  you,  gentlemen,  do  you  also  see  the  fashion  of  a 
galleon  in  her  upper  sails?" 

"  'Tis  not  unreasonable  to  believe  it,"  answered  one  of 
the  inferiors.  "The  Dons  are  said  to  run  this  passage  often 
in  order  to  escape  speaking  us  gentlemen  who  sail  with  rov- 
ing commissions." 

"Ah,  your  Don  is  a  prince  of  the  earth!  There  is  charity 
in  lightening  his  golden  burden,  or  the  man  would  sink 
under  it,  as  did  the  Roman  matron  under  the  pressure  of 
the  Sabine  shields.  I  think,  by  your  eye,  you  see  no  such 
gilded  beauty  in  the  stranger,  Mr.  Wilder?" 

"  It  is  a  heavy  ship." 

"The  more  likely  to  bear  a  noble  freight.  You  are  new 
sir,  to  this  merry  trade  of  ours,  or  you  would  know  that  size 
is  a  quality  we  greatly  esteem.  If  they  carry  pennants,  we 
leave  them  to  meditate  on  the  many  'slips  which  exist 
between  the  cup  and  the  lip';  if  stored  with  metal  no  more 
dangerous  than  that  of  Potosi,  they  generally  sail  the  faster 
after  passing  a  few  hours  in  our  company." 

"  Is  not  the  stranger  making  signals?"  demanded  Wilder, 
quickly. 

"Is  he  so  alert?  A  good  lookout  must  be  had,  when  a 
vessel,  that  is  merely  steadied  by  her  staysails,  can  be 
seen  so  far.  Vigilance  is  a  never-failing  sign  of  value!" 

There  was  a  pause,  during  which  all  the  glasses,  in  imi- 
tation of  Wilder's,  were  again  raised  in  the  direction  of  the 
stranger.  Different  opinions  were  given;  some  affirming 
and  some  doubting  the  fact  of  the  signals.  The  Rover 


380  THE    RED    ROVER. 

himself  was  silent,  though  his  observation  was  keen,  and 
long  continued. 

"  yVe  have  wearied  our  eyes  till  sight  is  getting  dim,"  he 
said.  "  I  have  found  the  use  of  trying  fresh  organs  when 
my  own  have  refused  to  serve  me.  Come  hither,  lad,"  he 
continued,  addressing  a  man  who  was  executing  some  deli- 
cate job  in  seamanship  on  the  poop,  at  no  great  distance 
from  the  spot  where  the  group  of  officers  had  placed  them- 
selves; "come  hither;  tell  me  what  you  make  of  the  sail  in 
the  southwestern  board." 

The  man  proved  to  be  Scipio,  who  had  been  chosen,  for 
his  expertness,  to  perform  the  task  in  question.  Placing 
his  cap  on  the  deck,  in  a  reverence  even  deeper  than  that 
which  the  seaman  usually  manifests  towards  his  superior, 
he  lifted  the  glass  in  one  hand,  while  with  the  other  he 
covered  the  eye  for  which  at  that  moment  he  had  no  par- 
ticular use.  No  sooner  did  the  wandering  instrument  fall 
on  the  distant  object,  than  he  dropped  it  again,  and  fastened 
his  look  in  a  sort  of  stupid  admiration  on  Wilder. 

"Did  you  see  the  sail?"  demanded  the  Rover. 

"  Masser  can  see  him  wid  he  naked  eye." 

"Ay,  but  what  do  you  make  of  him  with  the  glass?" 

"He'm  a  ship,  sir." 

"  True.     On  what  course  ?" 

"  He  got  the  starboard  tacks  aboard,  sir." 

"  Still  true.     Has  he  signals  abroad?" 

"  He'm  got  t'ree  new  cloths  in  the  main  topgallant-royal, 
sir." 

"  His  vessel  is  all  the  better  for  repairs.  Did  you  see  his 
flags?" 

"  He'm  show  no  flag,  masser." 

"  I  thought  as  much  myself.  Go  forward,  lad — stay — one 
often  gets  a  true  idea  by  seeking  it  where  it  is  not  thought 
to  exist.  Of  what  size  do  you  take  the  stranger  to  be?" 

"  He'm  just  seven  hundred  and  fifty  tons,  masser." 

"  How's  this  I     The  tongue  of  your  negro,  Mr.  Wilder,  is 


THE   RED    ROVER.  381 

as  exact  as  a  carpenter's  rule.  The  fellow  speaks  of  the 
size  of  a  vessel  that  is  hull  down,  with  an  air  as  authorita- 
tive as  a  runner  of  the  king's  customs  could  pronounce  on 
the  same,  after  she  had  been  submitted  to  the  office  ad- 
measurement." 

"  You  will  have  consideration  for  the  ignorance  of  the 
black;  men  of  his  unfortunate  race  are  seldom  skilful  in 
answering  interrogatories."  . 

"  Ignorance !"  repeated  the  Rover,  glancing  his  eye 
uneasily  and  with  a  rapidity  peculiar  to  himself,  from  one 
to  the  other,  and  from  both  to  the  rising  object  in  the  hori- 
zon? "skilful!  I  know  not:  the  man  has  no  air  of  doubt. 
You  think  her  tonnage  precisely  that  which  you  have 
said?" 

The  large  dark  eyes  of  Scipio  rolled,  in  turn,  from  his 
new  commander  to  his  ancient  master,  while  for  a  moment, 
his  faculties  appeared  to  be  lost  in  confusion.  But  the 
uncertainty  continued  only  for  a  moment.  He  no  sooner 
read  the  frown  that  was  gathering  on  the  brow  of  the  latter, 
than  the  air  of  confidence  with  which  he  had  pronounced 
his  former  opinion  vanished  in  a  look  of  obstinacy  so  set- 
tled, that  one  might  well  have  despaired  of  ever  driving  or 
enticing  him  again  to  seem  to  think. 

''I  ask  you,  if  the  stranger  may  not  be  a  dozen  tons  larger 
or  smaller  than  what  you  have  just  named?"  continued  the 
Rover,  when  he  found  his  former  question  was  not  likely  to 
be  soon  answered. 

"  He'm  just  as  masser  wish  'em,"  returned  Scipio. 

"  I  wish  him  a  thousand ;  he  will  then  prove  the  richer 
prize." 

"  I  s'pose  he'm  quite  a  t'ousand,  sir." 

"Or  a  snug  ship  of  three  hundred,  if  lined  with  gold, 
might  do." 

"  He  look  berry  just  like  t'ree  hundred." 

"  To  me  it  seems  a  brig." 

"  I  t'ink  him  a  brig,  too,  masser." 


3 §2  THE    RED    ROVER, 

"  Or,  possibly,  after  all,  the  stranger  may  prove  a  schooner 
with  many  lofty  and  light  sails." 

"  A  schooner  often  carry  a  royal,"  returned  the  black, 
resolute  to  acquiesce  in  all  the  other  said. 

"Who  knows  it  is  a  sail  at  all!  Forward  there!  It  may 
be  well  to  have  more  opinions  than  one  on  so  weighty  a 
matter.  Forward  there!  send  the  foretopman  that  is  called 
Fid  upon  the  poop.  Your  companions  are  so  intelligent 
and  so  faithful,  Mr.  Wilder,  that  you  are  not  to  be  surprised 
if  I  show  an  undue  desire  for  their  opinions." 

Wilder  compressed  his  lips,  and  the  rest  of  the  group 
manifested  a  good  deal  of  amazement;  but  the  latter  had 
been  too  long  accustomed  to  the  caprice  of  their  com- 
mander, and  the  former  was  too  wise,  to  speak  at  a  moment 
when  his  humor  seemed  at  the  highest.  The  topman,  how- 
ever, was  not  long  in  making  his  appearance,  and  then  the 
chief  saw  fit  to  pursue  his  purpose. 

"  And  you  think  it  questionable  whether  it  is  a  sail  at 
all?"  he  continued. 

"He'm  sartain  nothing  but  a  flyaway,"  returned  the 
obstinate  black. 

"  You  hear  what  your  friend  the  negro  says,  Master  Fid ; 
he  thinks  that  yonder  object,  which  is  lifting  so  fast  lee- 
ward, is  not  a  sail." 

As  the  topman  saw  no  sufficient  reason  for  concealing  his 
astonishment  at  this  wild  opinion,  it  was  manifested  with 
all  the  embellishments  with  which  the  individual  in  ques- 
tion usually  delivered  his  sentiments.  After  casting  a 
short  glance  in  the  direction  of  the  sail,  in  order  to  assure 
himself  there  had  been  no  deception,  he  turned  his  eyes  in 
great  disgust  on  Scipio,  to  vindicate  the  credit  of  the  asso- 
ciation at  the  expense  of  some  little  contempt  for  the  ignor- 
ance of  his  companion. 

"  What  the  devil  do  you  take  it  for,  Guinea? — a  church?" 

"I  t'ink  he'm   church   too,"  responded   the    acquiescent 


THE    RED    ROVER.  383 

"  Lord  help  the  dark-skinn'd  fool.  Your  honor  knows  that 
conscience  is  d— nably  overlooked  in  Africa,  and  will  not 
judge  the  nigger  hardly  for  any  little  blunder  he  may  make 
on  account  of  religion.  But  the  fellow  is  a  thorough  sea- 
man, and  should  know  a  topgallant-sail  from  a  weather- 
cock. Now,  look  you,  S'ip,  for  the  credit  of  your  friends,  if 
you've  no  great  pride  on  your  own  behalf,  just  tell  his — 

"It  is  of  no  account,"  interrupted  the  Rover;  "take  the 
glass  yourself,  and  pass  an  opinion  on  the  sail  in  sight." 

Fid  scraped  his  foot,  made  a  low  bow,  in  acknowledg- 
ment of  the  compliment,  and  then,  depositing  his  little  tar- 
paulin on  the  deck  of  the  poop,  he  very  composedly,  and,  as 
he  flattered  himself,  very  understandingly,  disposed  of  his 
person  to  take  the  desired  view.  The  gaze  of  the  topman 
was  far  longer  than  that  of  his  black  companion;  and  it  is 
to  be  presumed,  in  consequence,  much  more  accurate.  In- 
stead, however,  of  venturing  any  sudden  opinion,  when  his 
eye  was  wearied,  he  lowered  the  glass,  and  with  it  his  head, 
standing  long  in  the  attitude  of  one  whose  thoughts  had 
received  some  subject  for  deep  cogitation.  During  the  proc- 
ess of  thinking,  the  weed  was  diligently  rolled  over  his 
tongue,  and  one  hand  was  stuck  akimbo  into  his  side,  as  if 
he  would  brace  all  his  faculties  to  support  some  extraor- 
dinary mental  effort. 

"  I  wait  your  opinion,"  resumed  his  attentive  commander, 
when  he  thought  sufficient  time  had  been  allowed  to  mature 
the  opinion  even  of  Richard  Fid. 

"  Will  your  honor  just  tell  me  what  day  of  the  month  this 
here  may  be,  and  mayhap,  at  the  same  time,  the  day  of  the 
week  too,  if  it  shouldn't  be  giving  too  much  trouble?" 

His  two  questions  were  answered. 

"  We  had  the  wind  at  east-with-southing,  the  first  day 
out,  and  then  it  chopped  in  the  night,  and  blew  great  guns 
at  northwest,  where  it  held  for  the  matter  of  a  week.  After 
which  there  was  an  Irishman's  hurricane,  right  up  and 
clown,  for  a  day;  then  we  got  into  these  here  trades,  which 


384  THE    RED    ROVER. 

have  stood  as  steady  as  a  ship's  chaplain  over  a  punch 
bowl,  ever  since " 

Here  the  topman  closed  his  soliloquy,  in  order  to  agitate 
the  tobacco  again,  it  being  impossibl  to  conduct  the  proc- 
ess of  chewing  and  talking  :  ^ne  and  the  same  time. 

"What  of  the  stranger?"  demanded  the  Rover,  a  little 
impatiently. 

"  It's  no  church,  that's  certain,  your  honor,"  said  Fid, 
very  decidedly. 

"Has  he  signals  flying?" 

"  He  may  be  speaking  with  his  flags,  but  it  needs  a  better 
scholar  than  Richard  Fid  to  know  what  he  would  say.  To 
my  eye  there  are  three  new  cloths  in  his  main-topgallant- 
royal,*  but  no  bunting  abroad." 

"The  man  is  happy  in  having  so  good  a  sail.  Mr. 
Wilder,  do  you,  too,  see  the  cloths  in  question?" 

"There  is  certainly  something  which  might  be  taken  for 
new  canvas.  I  believe  I  first  mistook  it,  as  the  sun  fell 
brightest  on  the  sail,  for  the  signals  I  named." 

"Then  we  are  not  seen,  and  may  lie  quiet  for  a  while, 
though  we  enjoy  the  advantage  of  measuring  the  stranger 
foot  by  foot — even  to  the  new  cloths  in  his  royal !" 

The  Rover  spoke  in  a  manner  that  was  strangely  divided 
between  sarcasm  and  suspicion.  He  made  an  impatient 
gesture  to  the  seamen  to  quit  the  poop.  When  they  were 
alone,  he  turned  to  his  silent  and  respectful  officers,  con- 
tinuing, in  a  manner  that  was  grave  while  it  was  concilia- 
tory: 

"  Gentlemen,"  he  said,  "  our  idle  time  is  past,  and  fortune 
has  at  length  brought  us  active  service.  Whether  the  ship 
in  sight  be  of  just  seven  hundred  and  fifty  tons  is  more 
than  I  can  pretend  to  pronounce,  but  something  there  is 

*  It  has  been  objected  to  this  term  that  the  sail  is  called  the  main-royal.  The 
writer  is  old  enough  to  remember  when  seamen  alwaj  inserted  the  other  word,  when 
they  wished  to  speak  with  a  "  full  mouth."  Main-sail ;  main-topsail ;  main-top- 
gallant-sail ;  main-topgallant-royal  were,  and  indeed  are  still,  the  proper  appellations 
of  these  sails.  "  Main-royal "  is,  beyond  dispute,  the  familiar  name  now  most  in  use. 


THE   RED   ROVER.  385 

which  any  seaman  may  know.  By  the  squareness  of  her 
upper  yards,  the  symmetry  with  which  they  are  trimmed, 
and  the  press  of  canvas  she  bears  on  the  wind,  I  pronounce 
her  to  be  a  vessel  of  war.  Do  any  differ  from  my  opinion  ? 
Mr.  Wilder,  speak." 

"I  feel  the  truth  of  all  your  reasons,  and  think  with 
you." 

The  shade  of  distrust,  which  had  gathered  over  the  brow 
of  the  Rover  during  the  foregoing  scene,  lighted  a  little  as 
he  listened  to  the  direct  and  frank  avowal  of  his  lieutenant. 

"You  believe  she  bears  a  pennant?  I  like  this  manli- 
ness of  reply.  Then  comes  another  question :  shall  we 
fight  her?" 

To  this  interrogatory  it  was  not  not  so  easy  to  give  a  de- 
cisive answer.  Each  officer  consulted  the  opinions  of  his 
comrades  in  their  eyes,  until  their  leader  saw  fit  to  make  his 
application  still  more  personal. 

"  Now,  general,  this  is  a  question  peculiarly  fitted  for 
your  wisdom,"  he  resumed.  "  Shall  we  give  battle  to  a  pen- 
nant? or  shall  we  spread  our  wings  and  fly?" 

"  My  bullies  are  not  drilled  to  the  retreat.  Give  them 
any  other  work  to  do,  and  I  will  answer  for  their  steadi- 
ness." 

"But  shall  we  adventure,  without  a  reason?" 

"The  Spaniard  often  sends  his  bullion  home  under  the 
cover  of  a  cruiser's  guns,"  observed  one  of  the  inferiors, 
who  rarely  found  pleasure  in  any  risk  that  did  not  infer  its 
correspondent  benefit.  "We  may  feel  the  stranger;  if  he 
carries  more  than  his  guns,  he  will  betray  it  by  his  reluc- 
tance to  speak;  if  poor,  we  shall  find  him  fierce  as  a  half -fed 
tiger." 

"  There  is  sense  in  your  counsel,  Brace,  and  it  shall  be 
regarded.  Go  then,  gentlemen,  to  your  several  duties. 
We'll  occupy  the  half-hour  that  must  pass,  before  his  hull 
shall  rise,  in  looking  to  our  gear  and  overhauling  the  guns. 
As  it  is  not  decided  to  fight,  let  what  is  done  be  done 


386  THE    RED    ROVER. 

without  display.  The  people  must  see  no  receding  from  a 
resolution  that  is  once  taken." 

They  separated,  each  man  preparing  to  undertake  the 
task  that  more  especially  belonged  to  the  situation  he 
filled  in  the  ship.  Wilder  was  retiring  with  the  rest,  when 
a  sign  kept  him  on  the  poop  alone  with  his  new  confeder- 
ate. 

"  The  monotony  of  our  lives  is  now  likely  to  be  inter- 
rupted, Mr.  Wilder,"  commenced  the  former,  first  glancing 
his  eye  around  to  make  sure  they  were  alone.  "  I  have  seen 
enough  of  your  spirit  and  steadiness  to  be  sure  that,  should 
accident  disable  me  to  conduct  the  fortunes  of  these  people, 
my  authority  will  fall  into  firm  and  able  hands." 

"Should  such  a  calamity  befall  us,  I  hope  it  will  be 
found  that  your  expectations  are  not  to  be  deceived." 

"  I  have  confidence,  sir ;  and,  where  a  brave  man  reposes 
his  confidence,  he  has  a  right  to  hope  it  will  not  be  abused. 
Do  I  speak  in  reason?" 

"  I  acknowledge  the  justice  of  what  you  say." 

"I  would,  Wilder,  that  we  had  known  each  other  earlier. 
But  what  matter  vain  regrets  ?  These  fellows  of  yours  are 
keen  of  sight  to  note  those  new  cloths  so  soon !" 

"'Tis  just  the  observation  of  the  people  of  their  class. 
The  nicer  distinctions  which  marked  the  cruiser  came  first 
from  yourself!" 

"  And  then  'the  seven  hundred  and  fifty  tons'  of  the  black ! 
It  was  giving  an  opinion  to  a  foot." 

"  It  is  the  quality  of  ignorance  to  be  positive." 

"  Very  true.  Cast  an  eye  at  the  stranger,  and  tell  me  how 
he  comes  on." 

Wilder  obeyed,  glad  to  be  relieved  from  a  discourse  that 
he  found  embarrassing.  Many  moments  were  passed  be- 
fore he  dropped  the  glass,  during  which  time  not  a  syllable 
fell  from  the  lips  of  his  companion.  When  he  turned,  how- 
ever, to  deliver  the  result  of  his  observations,  he  met  an 
eye  that  seemed  to  pierce  his  soul,  fastened  on  his  counte- 


THE  RED  ROVER.  387 

nance.  Coloring  highly,  as  if  he  resented  the  suspicion 
betrayed  by  the  act,  Wilder  closed  his  half-open  lips,  and 
continued  silent. 

"And  the  ship?"  deeply  demanded  the  Rover. 

"  The  ship  has  already  raised  her  courses ;  in  a  few  more 
minutes  we  shall  see  the  hull.'7 

"It  is  a  swift  vessel!  She  is  standing  directly  for  us." 

"I  think  not.     Her  head  is  lyingmore  to  the  eastward." 

"  It  may  be  well  to  make  certain  of  that  fact.  You  are 
right,"  he  continued,  after  taking  a  look  himself  at  the  ap- 
proaching cloud  of  canvas;  "you  are  very  right.  As  yet  we 
are  not  seen.  Forward  there!  haul  down  that  head  stay- 
sail; we  will  steady  the  ship  by  her  yards.  Now  let  him 
look  with  all  his  eyes;  they  must  be  good  to  see  these  naked 
spars  at  such  a  distance." 

Our  adventurer  made  no  reply,  assenting  to  the  truth  of 
what  the  other  had  said  by  a  simple  inclination  of  his  head. 
They  then  resumed  the  walk  to  and  fro  in  their  narrow 
limits,  neither  manifesting,  however,  any  disposition  to  re- 
new the  discourse. 

"We  are  in  good  condition  for  the  alternative  of  flight  or 
combat,"  the  Rover  at  length  observed,  while  he  cast  a 
rapid  look  over  the  preparations  which  had  been  unosten- 
tatiously in  progress  from  the  moment  when  the  officers  dis- 
persed. "  Now  will  I  confess,  Wilder,  a  secret  pleasure  in 
the  belief  that  yonder  audacious  fool  carries  the  boasted 
commission  of  the  German  who  wears  the  crown  of  Britain. 
Should  he  prove  more  than  man  may  dare  attempt,  I  will 
flout  him,  though  prudence  shall  check  any  further  at- 
tempts ;  and,  should  he  prove  an  equal,  would  it  not  gladden 
your  eyes  to  see  St.  George  come  drooping  to  the  water?" 

"I  thought  that  men  in  our  pursuit  left  honor  to  silly 
heads,  and  that  we  seldom  struck  a  blow  that  was  not  in- 
tended to  ring  on  a  metal  more  precious  than  iron." 

"  'Tis  the  character  the  world  gives  us ;  but  I,  for  one, 
would  rather  lower  the  pride  of  the  minions  of  King  George, 


388  THE    RED    ROVER. 

than  possess  the  power  of  unlocking  his  treasury!  Said  I 
well,  general?"  he  added,  as  the  individual  he  named  ap- 
proached; "said  I  well,  in  asserting  there  was  glorious 
pleasure  in  making  a  pennant  trail  upon  the  sea?" 

"  We  fight  for  victory,"  returned  the  martinet.  "  I  am 
ready  to  engage  at  a  minute's  notice." 

"  Prompt  and  decided  as  a  soldier.  Now  tell  me,  general, 
if  Fortune,  or  Chance,  or  Providence,  whichever  of  the 
powers  you  may  acknowledge  for  a  leader,  were  to  give  you 
the  option  of  enjoyments,  in  what  would  you  find  your 
deepest  satisfaction?" 

The  soldier  seemed  to  ruminate. 

"  I  have  often  thought  that,  were  I  commander  of  things 
on  earth,  I  should,  backed  by  a  dozen  of  my  stoutest  bullies, 
charge  at  the  door  of  that  cave  which  was  entered  by  the 
tailor's  boy,  him  they  called  Aladdin." 

"The  genuine  aspirations  of  a  freebooter!  In  such  a 
case,  the  magic  trees  would  soon  be  disburdened  of  their 
fruit.  Still  it  might  prove  an  inglorious  victory,  since  in- 
cantations and  charms  are  the  weapons  of  the  combatants. 
Call  you  honor  nothing?" 

"  Hum !  I  fought  for  honor  half  of  a  reasonably  long  life, 
and  found  myself  as  light  at  the  close  of  all  my  dangers  as 
at  the  beginning.  Honor  and  I  have  shaken  hands,  unless 
it  be  the  honor  of  coming  off  conqueror.  I  have  a  strong 
disgust  of  defeat,  but  am  always  ready  to  see  the  mere 
honor  of  the  victory  cheap." 

"Well,  let  it  pass.  The  quality  of  the  service  is  much 
the  same,  find  the  motive  where  you  will.  How  now !  who 
has  dared  to  let  yonder  topgallant-sail  fly?" 

The  startling  change  in  the  voice  of  the  Rover  caused  all 
within  hearing  of  his  words  to  tremble.  Deep,  anxious, 
and  threatening  displeasure  was  in  its  tones;  and  each  man 
cast  his  eyes  upwards,  to  see  on  whose  devoted  head  the 
weight  of  the  dreaded  indignation  of  their  chief  was  likely 
to  fall.  As  there  was  little  but  naked  spars  and  tightened 


THE   RED   ROVER.  389 

ropes  to  obstruct  the  view,  all  became,  at  the  same  instant, 
apprised  of  the  truth.  Fid  was  standing  on  the  head  of  that 
topmast  which  belonged  to  the  particular  portion  of  the 
vessel  where  he  was  stationed,  and  the  sail  in  question  was 
fluttering,  with  all  its  gear  loosened,  far  and  high  in  the 
wind.  His  hearing  had  probably  been  drowned  by  the 
heavy  flapping  of  the  canvas;  for,  instead  of  lending  his 
ears  to  the  powerful  call  just  mentioned,  he  rather  stood 
contemplating  his  work,  than  exhibiting  any  anxiety  as  to 
the  effect  it  might  produce  on  the  minds  of  those  beneath 
him.  But  a  second  warning  came  in  tones  too  terrible  to 
be  any  longer  disregarded  by  ears  even  as  dull  as  those  of 
the  offender. 

"  By  whose  order  have  you  dared  to  loosen  the  sail?"  de- 
manded the  Rover. 

"  By  the  order  of  King  Wind,  your  honor.  The  best  sea- 
man must  give  in  when  a  squall  gets  the  upper  hand." 

"Furl  it!  away  aloft,  and  furl  it!"  shouted  the  excited 
leader.  "Roll  it  up;  and  send  the  fellow  down  who  has 
been  so  bold  as  to  own  any  authority  but  my  own  in  this 
ship,  though  it  were  that  of  a  hurricane." 

A  dozen  nimble  topmen  ascended  to  the  assistance  of  Fid. 
In  another  minute  the  unruly  canvas  was  secured,  and 
Richard  himself  was  on  his  way  to  the  poop.  During  this 
brief  interval,  the  brow  of  the  Rover  was  dark  and  angry  as 
the  surface  of  the  element  on  which  he  lived,  when  black- 
ened by  the  tempest.  Wilder,  who  had  never  before  seen 
his  new  commander  thus  excited,  began  to  tremble  for  the 
fate  of  his  old  comrade,  and  drew  nigher  as  the  latter  ap- 
proached, to  intercede  in  his  favor,  should  the  circumstances 
seem  to  require  such  an  interposition. 

"And  why  is  this?"  the  still  stern  and  angry  captain  de- 
manded of  the  offender.  "  Why  is  it  that  you,  whom  I  have 
had  such  recent  reason  to  applaud,  should  dare  to  let  fall  a 
sail,  at  a  moment  when  it  is  important  to  keep  the  ship 
naked?" 


39°  THE    RED    ROVER. 

"Your  honor  will  admit  that  his  rations  sometimes  slips 
through  the  best  man's  fingers,  and  why  not  a  bit  of  can- 
vas?" deliberately  returned  the  delinquent.  "If  I  took  a 
turn  too  many  of  the  gasket  off  the  yard, — it  is  a  fault  I  am 
ready  to  answer  for." 

"You  say  true,  and  dearly  shall  you  pay  the  forfeit. 
Take  him  to  the  gangway,  and  let  him  make  acquaintance 
with  the  cat." 

"  No  new  acquaintance,  your  honor,  seeing  that  we  have 
met  before,  and  that,  too,  for  matters  which  I  had  reason  to 
hide  my  head  for;  whereas,  here,  it  may  be  many  blows 
and  little  shame." 

"May  I  intercede  in  behalf  of  the  offender?"  interrupted 
Wilder,  with  earnestness  and  haste.  "  He  is  often  blunder- 
ing, but  rarely  would  he  err,  had  he  as  much  knowledge  as 
good-will." 

"Say  nothing  about  it,  Master  Harry,"  returned  the  top- 
man,  with  a  peculiar  glance  of  his  eye.  "The  sail  has  been 
flying  finely,  and  it  is  now  too  late  to  deny  it;  and  so,  I  sup- 
pose, the  fact  must  be  scored  on  the  back  of  Richard  Fid,  as 
you  would  put  any  other  misfortune  into  the  log." 

"I  would  he  might  be  pardoned.  I  can  venture  to  prom- 
ise, in  his  name,  'twill  be  the  last  offence " 

"Let  it  be  forgotten,"  returned  the  Rover,  struggling  to 
conquer  his  passion.  "I  will  not  disturb  our  harmony  at 
such  a  moment,  Mr.  Wilder,  by  refusing  so  small  a  boon; 
but  you  need  not  be  told  to  what  evil  such  negligence  might 
lead.  Give  me  the  glass  again;  I  will  see  if  the  fluttering 
canvas  has  escaped  the  eye  of  the  stranger." 

The  topman  bestowed  a  stolen  but  exulting  glance  on 
Wilder,  when  the  latter  motioned  the  other  hastily  away, 
turning  himself  to  join  his  commander  in  the  examination. 


THE   RED    ROVER.  391 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

As  I  am  an  honest  man,  he  looks'  pale.     Art  thou  sick  or  angry  ? 

Much  Ado  about  Nothing. 

THE  approach  of  the  strange  sail  was  becoming  rapidly  more 
and  more  visible  to  the  naked  eye.  The  little  speck  of 
white,  which  had  first  been  seen  on  the  margin  of  the  sea, 
resembling  some  gull  floating  on  the  summit  of  a  wave,  had 
gradually  arisen  during  the  last  half -hour,  until  a  tall  pyra- 
mid of  canvas  was  reared  on  the  water.  As  Wilder  bent 
his  look  again  on  this  growing  object,  the  Rover  put  a 
glass  into  his  hands,  with  an  expression  which  the  other 
understood  to  say,  "  You  may  perceive  that  the  carelessness 
of  your  dependant  has  betrayed  us!"  Still  the  look  was 
one  rather  of  regret  than  of  reproach;  nor  did  a  single 
syllable  of  the  tongue  confirm  the  language  of  the  eye.  On 
the  contrary,  it  would  seem  that  his  commander  was  anxious 
to  preserve  their  recent  amicable  compact  inviolate;  for, 
when  the  young  mariner  attempted  an  awkward  explanation 
of  the  probable  causes  of  the  blunder  of  Fid,  he  was  met 
by  a  quiet  gesture,  which  said,  in  a  sufficiently  intelligible 
language,  that  the  offence  was  pardoned. 

"  Our  neighbor  keeps  a  good  lookout,  as  you  may  see," 
observed  the  other.  "  He  has  tacked,  and  is  laying  boldly 
up  across  our  forefoot.  Well,  let  him  come  on;  we  shall 
soon  get  a  look  at  his  battery,  and  then  we  may  form  our 
conclusion  as  to  the  nature  of  the  intercourse  we  are  to 
hold." 

"  If  you  permit  the  stranger  too  near  us,  it  might  be  diffi- 
cult to  throw  him  off  the  chase,  should  we  be  glad  to  get  rid 
of  him." 

"  It  must  be  a  fast-going  vessel,  to  which  the  Dolphin 
cannot  spare  a  topgallant-sail." 

"  I  know  not,  sir.    The  sail  in  sight  is  swift  on  the  wind. 


THE  RED  ROVER. 

and  it  is  to  be  believed  that  she  is  no  duller  off.  I  have 
rarely  known  a  vessel  rise  so  rapidly  as  she  has  done  since 
we  first  made  her." 

The  youth  spoke  with  such  earnestness,  as  to  draw  the 
attention  of  his  companion  from  the  object  he  was  studying 
to  the  countenance  of  the  speaker. 

"  Mr.  Wilder,"  he  said  quickly,  and  with  an  air  of  deci- 
sion, "jrou  know  the  ship?" 

"  I'll  not  deny  it.  If  my  opinion  be  true,  she  will  be 
found  too  heavy  for  the  Dolphin,  and  a  vessel  that  offers 
little  inducement  for  us  to  attempt  to  carry." 

"Her  size?" 

"  You  heard  it  from  the  black." 

"Your  followers  know  her  also?" 

"  It  would  be  difficult  to  deceive  a  topman  in  the  cut  and 
trim  of  sails,  among  which  he  has  passed  months — nay 
years." 

"Ha!  I  understand  the  *  new  cloths'  in  her  topgallant- 
royal  !  Mr.  Wilder,  your  departure  from  that  vessel  has 
been  recent?" 

"  As  my  arrival  in  this." 

The  Rover  continued  silent  for  several  minutes.  His 
companion  made  no  offer  to  disturb  his  meditations;  though 
the  furtive  glances  he  often  cast  in  the  direction  of  the  other 
betrayed  some  little  anxiety  for  the  result  of  his  own  frank 
avowal . 

"And  her  guns?"  his  commander  at  length  abruptly 
demanded. 

"  She  numbers  four  more  than  the  Dolphin." 

"The  metal?" 

"  Is  still  heavier.  In  every  particular  she  is  a  ship  a 
size  above  your  own." 

"Doubtless  she  is  the  property  of  the  king?" 

"  She  is." 

"She  shall  change  masters.  By  Heaven,  she  shall  be 
minel" 


THE   RED   ROVER.  393 

Wilder  shook  his  head,  answering  only  with  an  incredu- 
lous smile. 

"  You  doubt  it.  Come  hither,  and  look  upon  that  deck. 
Can  he,  whom  you  so  lately  quitted,  muster  fellows  like 
these?" 

The  crew  of  the  Dolphin  has  been  chosen,  by  one  who 
thoroughly  understood  the  character  of  a  seaman,  from 
among  all  the  different  people  of  the  Christian  world.  There 
was  not  a  maritime  nation  in  Europe  which  had  not  its 
representative  among  that  band  of  turbulent  and  desperate 
spirits.  Even  the  descendant  of  the  aboriginal  possessors  of 
America  had  been  made  to  abandon  the  habits  and  opinions 
of  his  progenitors,  to  become  a  wanderer  on  that  element 
which  had  laved  the  shores  of  his  native  land  for  ages,  with- 
out exciting  a  wish  to  penetrate  its  mysteries  in  the  bosoms 
of  his  simple-minded  ancestry.  All  had  been  fitted,  by  lives 
of  wild  adventure  on  the  two  elements,  for  their  present 
lawless  pursuits;  and,  directed  by  the  mind  which  had 
known  how  to  obtain  and  to  continue  its  despotic  ascend- 
ency over  their  efforts,  they  truly  formed  a  most  dangerous 
and  (considering  their  numbers)  a  resistless  crew.  Their 
commander  smiled  in  exultation,  as  he  watched  the  evident 
reflection  with  which  his  companion  contemplated  the  in- 
difference, or  fierce  joy,  which, different  individuals  among 
them  exhibited  at  the  appearance  of  an  approaching  con- 
flict. Even  the  rawest  of  their  numbers,  the  luckless 
waisters  and  afterguard,  were  as  confident  of  victory  as 
those  whose  audacity  might  plead  the  apology  of  uniform 
and  often  repeated  success. 

"Count  you  these  for  nothing?"  asked  the  Rover,  at  the 
elbow  of  his  lieutenant,  after  allowing  him  time  to  embrace 
the  whole  of  the  grim  band  with  his  eye.  "  See!  here  is  a 
Dane;  ponderous  and  steady  as  the  gun  at  which  I  shall 
shortly  place  him.  You  may  cut  him  limb  from  limb,  and 
yet  he  will  stand  like  a  tower,  until  the  last  stone  of  the 
foundation  has  been  sapped.  And  here  we  have  his  neigh- 


394  THE   REt)   ROVER. 

bors,  the  Swede  and  the  Russ,  fit  companions  for  managing 
the  same  piece;  which,  I'll  answer,  shall  not  be  silent, 
while  a  man  of  them  all  is  left  to  apply  a  match  or  handle  a 
sponge.  Yonder  is  a  square-built,  athletic  mariner,  from 
one  of  the  free  towns.  He  prefers  our  liberty  to  that  of  his 
native  city;  and  you  shall  find  that  the  venerable  Hanseatic 
institutions  shall  give  way  sooner  than  he  be  known  to  quit 
the  spot  I  give  him  to  defend.  Here  you  see  a  brace  of 
Englishmen;  and,  though  they  come  from  the  islands  that  I 
love  so  little,  better  men  at  need  will  not  be  often  found. 
Feed  them  and  flog  them,  and  I  pledge  myself  to  their 
swaggering  and  their  courage.  D'ye  see  that  thoughtful 
looking,  bony  miscreant,  that  has  a  look  of  godliness  in  the 
midst  of  his  villany?  That  fellow  fished  for  herring  till  he 
got  a  taste  of  beef,  when  his  stomach  revolted  at  its  ancient 
fare;  and  then  the  ambition  of  becoming  rich  got  upper- 
most. He  is  a  Scot,  from  one  of  the  lochs  of  the  North." 

"Will  he  fight?" 

"For  money — the  honor  of  the  Macs— and  his  religion. 
He  is  a  reasoning  fellow,  after  all;  and  I  like  to  have  him 
on  my  own  side  in  a  quarrel.  Ah !  yonder  is  the  boy  for  a 
charge.  I  once  told  him  to  cut  a  rope  in  a  hurry,  and  he 
severed  it  above  his  head  instead  of  beneath  his  feet,  taking 
a  flight  from  a  lower  yard  into  the  sea,  as  a  reward  for  the 
exploit.  But,  then,  he  always  extols  his  presence  of  mind 
in  not  drowning!  Now  are  his  ideas  in  a  hot  ferment;  and, 
if  the  truth  could  be  known,  I  would  wager  a  handsome 
venture  that  the  sail  in  sight  is,  by  some  mysterious  proc- 
ess, magnified  to  six  in  his  fertile  fancy." 

"  He  must  be  thinking  then,  of  escape?" 

"Far  from  it;  he  is  rather  plotting  the  means  of  sur- 
rounding them  with  the  Dolphin.  To  your  true  Hibernian, 
escape  is  the  last  idea  that  gives  him  an  uneasy  moment. 
You  see  that  pensive-looking,  sallow  mortal  at  his  elbow. 
That  is  a  man  who  will  fight  with  a  sort  of  sentiment. 
There  is  a  touch  of  chivalry  in  him,  which  might  be  worked 


THE    RED    ROVER.  395 

into  heroism,  if  one  had  but  the  opportunity  and  inclina- 
tion. As  it  is,  he  will  not  fail  to  show  a  spark  of  the  true 
Castilian.  His  companion  has  come  from  the  Rock  of 
Lisbon ;  I  should  trust  him  unwillingly,  did  I  not  know 
that  little  opportunity  of  taking  pay  from  the  enemy  is  given 
here.  Ah!  here  is  a  lad  for  a  dance  of  a  Sunday.  You  see 
him  at  this  moment,  with  foot  and  tongue  going  together. 
That  is  a  creature  of  contradiction.  He  wants  for  neither 
wit  nor  good-nature,  but  still  he  might  cut  your  throat  on  an 
occasion.  There  is  a  strange  medley  of  ferocity  and 
bonhommie  about  the  animal.  I  shall  put  him  among  the 
boarders;  for  we  shall  not  be  at  blows  a  minute  before  his 
impatience  will  be  for  carrying  everything  by  a  coup-de- 
main" 

"  And  who  is  the  seaman  at  his  elbow,  that  apparently  is 
occupied  in  divesting  his  person  of  some  superfluous  gar- 
ments?" demanded  Wilder,  irresistibly  attracted  by  the 
manner  of  the  Rover  to  pursue  the  subject. 

"  An  economical  Dutchman.  He  calculates  that  it  is  just 
as  wise  to  be  killed  in  an  old  jacket  as  in  a  new  one;  and 
has  probably  said  as  mucli  to  his  Gascon  neighbor,  who  is, 
however,  resolved  to  die  decently,  if  die  he  must.  The 
former  has  happily  commenced  his  preparations  for  the 
combat  in  good  season,  or  the  enemy  might  defeat  us  before 
he  would  be  in  readiness.  Did  it  rest  between  these  two 
worthies  to  decide  this  quarrel,  the  mercurial  Frenchman 
would  defeat  his  neighbor  of  Holland  before  the  latter  be- 
lieved the  battle  had  commenced;  but  should  he  let  the 
happy  moment  pass,  rely  on  it,  the  Dutchman  would  give 
him  trouble.  Forget  you,  Wilder,  that  the  day  has  been 
when  the  countrymen  of  that  slow-moving  and  heavy-moulded 
fellow  swept  the  narrow  seas  with  a  broom  at  their  mast- 
heads?" 

The  Rover  smiled  wildly  as  he  spoke,  and  what  he  said 
he  uttered  bitterly.  To  his  companion,  however,  there 
appeared  no  such  grounds  of  unnatural  exultation  in  recall- 


396  THE  RED  ROVER. 

ing  the  success  of  a  foreign  enemy,  and  he  was  content  to 
assent  to  the  truth  of  the  historical  fact  with  a  simple  in- 
clination of  his  head.  As  if  he  even  found  pain  in  this 
tacit  confession,  and  would  gladly  be  rid  of  the  mortifying 
reflection  altogether,  he  rejoined,  in  some  apparent  haste. 

"  You  have  overlooked  the  two  tall  seamen,  who  are  mak- 
ing out  the  rig  of  the  stranger  with  so  much  gravity  of 
observation." 

"  Ay,  those  are  men  that  came  from  a  land  in  which  we 
both  feel  some  interest.  The  sea  is  not  more  unstable  than 
are  those  rogues  in  their  knavery.  Their  minds  are  but 
half  made  up  to  piracy.  'Tis  a  coarse  word,  Mr.  Wilder, 
but  I  fear  we  earn  it.  But  these  rascals  make  a  reservation 
of  grace  in  the  midst  of  all  their  villany." 

"  They  regard  the  stranger  as  if  they  saw  reason  to  dis- 
trust the  wisdom  of  letting  him  approach  so  near." 

"  Ah !  they  are  renowned  calculators.  I  fear  they  have 
detected  the  four  supernumerary  guns  you  mentioned;  for 
their  vision  seems  supernatural  in  affairs  which  touch  their 
interests.  But  you  see  there  is  brawn  and  sinew  in  the  fel- 
lows ;  and,  what  is  better,  there  are  heads  which  teach  them 
to  turn  those  advantages  to  account." 

"You  think  they  fail  in  spirits?" 

"  Hum !  It  might  be  dangerous  to  try  it  on  any  point  they 
deem  material.  They  are  no  quarrellers  about  words,  and 
seldom  lose  sight  of  certain  musty  maxims,  which  they  pre- 
tend come  from  a  volume  that  I  fear  you  and  I  do  not  study 
too  intently.  It  is  not  often  that  they  strike  a  blow  for 
mere  chivalry ;  and,  were  they  so  inclined,  the  rogues  are 
too  much  disposed  to  logic  to  mistake,  like  your  black,  the 
Dolphin  for  a  church.  Still  they  see  reason,  in  their 
puissant  judgments,  to  engage,  mark  me,  the  two  guns  they 
command  will  do  better  service  than  all  the  rest  of  the 
battery.  Should  they  think  otherwise,  it  would  occasion  no 
surprise  were  I  to  receive  a  proposition  to  spare  the  powder 
for  some  more  profitable  adventure.  Honor,  forsooth!  the 


THE    RED    ROVER.  397 

miscreants  are  too  well  practised  in  polemics  to  mistake 
the  point  of  honor  in  a  pursuit  like  ours.  But  we  chatter  of 
trifles,  when  it  is  time  to  think  of  serious  things.  Mr. 
Wilder,  we  will  now  show  our  canvas." 

The  manner  of  the  Rover  changed  as  suddenly  as  his 
language.  Losing  the  air  of  sarcastic  levity  in  which  he 
had  been  indulging,  in  a  mien  better  suited  to  maintain  the 
authority  he  wielded,  he  walked  aside,  while  his  subordi- 
nate proceeded  to  issue  the  orders  necessary  to  enforce  his 
commands.  Nightingale  sounded  the  usual  summons,  lift- 
ing his  hoarse  voice  in  the  cry  of  "  All  hands  make  sail, 
ahoy!" 

Until  now,  the  people  of  the  Dolphin  had  made  their  ob- 
servations on  the  sail  that  was  growing  so  rapidly  above  the 
waters,  according  to  their  several  humors.  Some  had 
exulted  in  the  prospect  of  a  capture;  others,  more  practised 
in  the  ways  of  their  commander,  had  deemed  the  probability 
of  their  coming  in  collision  at  all  with  the  stranger  a  point 
far  from  settled;  while  a  few,  more  accustomed  to  reflec- 
tion, shook  their  heads  as  the  stranger  drew  nigher,  as  if 
they  believed  he  was  already  within  a  distance  that  might 
be  attended  with  too  much  hazard.  Still,  as  they  were 
ignorant  of  those  secret  sources  of  information  which  the 
chief  had  so  frequently  proved  he  possessed,  to  an  extent 
that  often  seemed  miraculous,  the  whole  were  content  pa- 
tiently to  await  his  decision.  But,  when  the  cry  above  men- 
tioned was  heard,  it  was  answered  by  an  activity  so  general 
and  so  cheerful,  as  to  prove  it  was  entirely  welcome.  Order 
now  followed  order  from  the  mouth  of  Wilder  in  quick  suc- 
cession, he  being,  in  virtue  of  his  station,  the  proper  execu- 
tive officer  for  the  moment. 

As  both  lieutenant  and  crew  appeared  animated  by  the 
same  spirit,  it  was  not  long  before  the  naked  spars  of  the 
Dolphin  were  clothed  in  vast  volumes  of  snow-white  can- 
vas. Sail  had  fallen  after  sail,  and  yard  after  yard  had 
been  raised  to  the  summit  of  its  mast,  until  the  vessel  bowed 


398  THE  RED  ROVER. 

before  the  breeze,  rolling  to  and  fro,  but  still  held  station- 
ary by  the  position  of  her  yards.  When  all  was  in  readi- 
ness to  proceed,  on  whichever  course  might  be  deemed 
necessary,  Wilder  ascended  again  to  the  poop,  in  order  to 
announce  the  fact  to  his  superior.  He  found  the  Rover 
attentively  considering  the  stranger,  whose  hull  had  by  this 
time  risen  out  of  the  sea,  exhibiting  a  long,  dotted,  yellow 
line,  which  the  eye  of  every  man  in  the  ship  well  knew  to 
contain  the  ports  where  the  guns  that  marked  her  particular 
force  were  to  be  sought.  Mrs.  Wyllys,  accompanied  by 
Gertrude,  stood  nigh,  thoughtful  as  usual,  but  permitting 
no  occurrence  of  the  slightest  moment  to  escape  her  vigi- 
lance. 

"We  are  ready  to  gather  way  on  the  ship,"  said  Wilder; 
"  we  wait  merely  for  the  course." 

The  Rover  started,  and  drew  closer  to  his  subordinate. 
Looking  him  full  and  intently  in  the  eye,  he  said: 

"You  are  certain  that  you  know  that  vessel,  Mr.Wilder?" 

"  Certain." 

"  It  is  a  royal  cruiser,"  said  the  governess  with  the  swift- 
ness of  thought. 

"  It  is.     I  have  already  pronounced  her  to  be  so." 

"Mr.  Wilder,"  resumed  the  Rover,  "we  will  try  her 
speed.  Let  the  courses  fall,  and  fill  your  forward  sails." 

The  young  mariner  made  an  acknowledgment  of  obedi- 
ence, and  proceeded  with  alacrity  to  execute  the  wishes  of 
his  commander.  There  was  an  eagerness,  and  perhaps  a 
trepidation,  in  the  voice  of  Wilder,  as  he  issued  the  neces- 
sary orders,  that  was  in  remarkable  contrast  to  the  deep- 
toned  calmness  which  characterized  the  utterance  of  the 
Rover.  The  unusual  intonations  did  not  entirely  escape 
the  ears  of  some  of  the  elder  seamen;  and  looks  of  peculiar 
meaning  were  exchanged  among  them,  as  they  paused  to 
catch  his  words.  But  obedience  followed  these  unwonted 
sounds,  as  it  had  been  accustomed  to  succeed  the  more  im- 
posing utterance  of  their  own  long-dreaded  chief.  The 


THE    RED    ROVER.  399 

head-yards  were  swung,  the  sails  were  distended  with  the 
breeze,  and  the  mass,  which  had  so  long  been  inert,  began 
to  divide  the  waters,  as  it  heavily  overcame  the  state  of  rest 
in  which  it  had  reposed.  The  ship  soon  attained  its 
velocity;  and  then  the  contest  between  the  two  rival  vessels 
became  of  engrossing  interest. 

By  this  time  the  stranger  was  within  a  half-league, 
directly  under  the  lee  of  the  Dolphin.  Closer  and  more 
accurate  observation  had  satisfied  every  eye  in  the  latter 
ship  of  the  force  and  character  of  their  neighbor.  The  rays 
of  a  bright  sun  fell  clear  upon  her  broadside,  while  the 
shadow  of  her  sails  were  thrown  across  the  waters,  in  a 
direction  opposite  to  their  own.  There  were  moments  when 
the  eye,  aided  by  the  glass,  could  penetrate  through  the 
open  ports  into  the  interior  of  the  hull,  catching  fleeting  and 
delusory  glimpses  of  the  movements  within.  A  few  human 
forms  were  distinctly  visible  in  different  parts  of  her  rig- 
ging; but,  in  all  other  respects,  the  repose  of  high  order 
and  perfect  discipline  was  discernible  in  all  about  her. 

When  the  Rover  heard  the  sounds  of  the  parted  waters, 
and  saw  the  little  jets  of  spray  that  the  bows  of  his  own  gal- 
lant ship  cast  before  her,  he  signed  to  his  lieutenant  to  as- 
cend to  the  place  which  he  still  occupied  on  the  poop.  For 
many  minutes  his  eye  was  on  the  strange  sail,  in  close  and 
intelligent  contemplation  of  her  powers. 

"Mr.  Wilder,"  heat  length  said,  speaking  like  one  whose 
doubts  on  some  perplexing  point  were  finally  removed,  "  I 
have  seen  that  cruiser  before." 

"  It  is  probable ;  she  has  roamed  over  most  of  the  waters 
of  the  Atlantic." 

"  Ay,  this  is  not  the  first  of  our  meetings!  A  little  paint 
has  changed  her  exterior,  but  I  think  I  know  the  manner  in 
which  they  have  stepp'd  her  masts." 

"They  are  thought  to  rake  more  than  is  usual." 

"  They  are  thought  to  do  it  with  reason.  Did  you  serve 
long  aboard  her?" 


4OO  THE  RED  ROVER. 

"  Years." 

"And  you  left  her " 

"  To  join  you." 

"  Tell  me,  Wilder,  did  they  treat  you,  too,  as  one  of  an 
inferior  order?  Ha!  was  your  merit  called  'provincial'? 
Did  they  read  America  in  all  you  did?" 

"  I  left  her,  Captain  Heidegger." 

"  Ay,  they  gave  you  reason.  For  once  they  have  done  me 
an  act  of  kindness.  But  you  were  in  her  during  the  equinox 
of  March?" 

Wilder  made  a  slight  bow  of  assent. 

"  I  thought  as  much.  And  you  fought  a  stranger  in  the 
gale?  Winds,  ocean,  and  man,  were  all  at  work  together?" 

"  It  is  true.  We  knew  you,  and  thought  for  a  time  that 
your  hour  had  come." 

"  I  like  your  frankness.  We  have  sought  each  other's 
lives  like  men,  and  we  shall  prove  the  truer  friends,  now 
that  amity  is  established  between  us.  I  will  not  ask  you 
further  of  that  adventure,  Wilder;  for  favor,  in  my  service, 
is  not  to  be  bought  by  treachery  to  that  you  have  quitted. 
It  is  sufficient  that  you  now  sail  under  my  flag." 

"What  is  that  flag?"  demanded  a  mild,  firm  voice  at  his 
elbow. 

The  Rover  turned  suddenly,  and  met  the  riveted,  calm, 
and  searching  eye  of  the  governess.  The  gleam  ings  of  some 
strangely  contradictory  passions  crossed  his  features,  and 
then  his  countenance  changed  to  that  look  of  bland  courtesy 
which  he  most  affected  when  addressing  his  captives. 

"  Here  is  a  female  reminding  two  old  mariners  of  their 
duty!"  he  exclaimed.  "We  have  forgotten  the  civility  of 
showing  the  stranger  our  bunting.  Let  it  be  set,  Mr.  Wilder, 
that  we  omit  none  of  the  observances  of  nautical  etiquette." 

"The  ship  in  sight  carries  a  naked  gaft." 

"  No  matter ;  we  shall  be  foremost  in  courtesy.  Let  the 
colors  be  shown." 

Wilder  opened  the  little  locker  which  contained  the  flags 


THE    RED    ROVER.  4<DI 

most  in  use,  but  hesitated  which  to  select,  out  of  a  dozen 
that  lay  in  large  rolls  within  the  different  compartments. 

"  I  hardly  know  which  of  these  ensigns  it  is  your  pleas- 
ure to  show,"  he  said,  in  a  manner  that  appeared  sufficiently 
like  putting  a  question. 

"Try  him  with  the  heavy-moulded  Dutchman.  The  com- 
mander of  so  noble  a  ship  should  understand  all  Christian 
tongues." 

The  lieutenant  made  a  sign  to  the  quartermaster  on 
duty;  and,  in  another  minute,  the  flag  of  the  United  Prov- 
inces was  waving  at  the  peak  of  the  Dolphin.  The  two 
officers  narrowly  watched  its  effect  on  the  stranger,  who 
refused,  however,  to  make  any  answering  sign  to  the  false 
signal  they  had  just  exhibited. 

"The  stranger  sees  we  have  a  hull  that  was  never  made 
near  the  shoals  of  Holland.  Perhaps  he  knows  us?"  said 
the  Rover,  glancing  at  the  same  time  a  look  of  inquiry  at 
his  companion. 

"  I  think  not.  Paint  is  too  freely  used  in  the  Dolphin  for 
even  her  friends  to  be  certain  of  her  countenance." 

"  She  is  a  coquettish  ship,  we  will  allow.  Try  him  with 
the  Portuguese:  let  us  see  if  Brazil  diamonds  have  favor  in 
his  eyes." 

The  colors  already  set  were  lowered,  and,  in  their 
place,  the  emblem  of  the  house  of  Braganza  was  loosened 
to  the  breeze.  Still  the  stranger  pursued  his  course  in  sul- 
len inattention,  eating  closer  and  closer  into  the  wind,  as  it 
is  termed  in  nautical  language,  in  order  to  lessen  the  dis- 
tance between  him  and  his  chase  as  much  as  possible. 

"  An  ally  cannot  move  him,"  said  the  Rover.  "  Now  let 
him  see  the  taunting  drapeau  blanc" 

Wilder  complied  in  silence.  The  flag  of  Portugal  was 
hauled  to  the  deck,  and  the  white  field  of  France  was  given 
to  the  air.  The  ensign  had  hardly  fluttered  in  its  elevated 
position,  before  a  broad,  glossy  blazonry  rose,  like  some 
enormous  bird  taking  wing,  from  the  deck  of  the  stranger, 
26 


4O2  THE  RED  ROVER. 

and  opened  its  folds  in  graceful  waves  at  his  gaft.  The 
same  instant,  a  column  of  smoke  issued  from  his  bows,  and 
had  sailed  backward  through  his  rigging,  ere  the  report  of 
the  gun  of  defiance  found  its  way,  against  the  fresh  breeze 
of  the  trades,  to  the  ears  of  the  Dolphin's  crew. 

"So  much  for  national  amity!"  dryly  observed  the  Rover. 
"  He  is  mute  to  the  Dutchman,  and  to  the  crown  of  Braganza ; 
but  the  very  bile  is  stirred  within  him  at  the  sight  of  a 
tablecloth!  Let  him  contemplate  the  colors  he  loves  so 
little,  Mr.  Wilder;  when  we  are  tired  of  showing  them,  our 
lockers  will  furnish  another." 

It  would  seem,  however,  that  the  sight  of  the  flag  which 
the  Rover  now  chose  to  bear  produced  some  effect  on  his 
neighbor  as  the  moleta  of  the  nimble  banderillo  is  known  to 
excite  in  the  enraged  bull.  Sundry  smaller  sails,  which 
could  do  but  little  good,  but  which  answered  the  purpose 
of  appearing  to  wish  to  quicken  his  speed,  were  instantly 
set  aboard  the  stranger;  and  not  a  brace,  or  a  bowline,  was 
suffered  to  escape  without  an  additional  pull.  In  short,  he 
wore  the  air  of  the  courser  who  receives  the  useless  blows 
of  the  jockey  when  already  at  the  top  of  his  speed,  and 
when  any  further  excitement  is  as  fruitless  as  his  own  addi- 
tional exertions.  Still  there  seemed  but  little  use  in  these 
efforts.  By  this  time,  the  two  vessels  were  fairly  trying 
their  powers  of  sailing,  and  with  no  visible  advantage  in 
favor  of  either.  Although  the  Dolphin  was  renowned  for 
her  speed,  the  stranger  manifested  no  inferiority  that  the 
keenest  scrutiny  might  detect.  The  ship  of  the  freebooter 
was  already  bending  to  the  breeze,  and  the  jets  of  spray 
before  her  were  cast  still  higher  and  farther  in  advance; 
but  each  impulse  of  the  wind  was  equally  felt  by  the 
stranger,  and  her  movement  over  the  heaving  waters  seemed 
to  be  as  rapid  and  as  graceful  as  that  of  her  rival. 

"Yonder  ship  parts  the  water  as  a  swallow  cuts  the  air," 
observed  the  chief  of  the  freebooters  to  the  youth,  who  still 
kept  at  his  elbow,  endeavoring  to  conceal  an  uneasiness 


THE   RED   ROVER.  463 

which  was  increasing  at  each  instant.  "  Has  she  a  name 
for  speed?" 

"  The  curlew  is  scarcely  faster.  Are  we  not  already  nigh 
enough,  for  men  who  cruise  with  commissions  no  better 
than  our  own  pleasure?" 

The  Rover  glanced  a  look  of  impatient  suspicion  at  the 
countenance  of  his  companion ;  but  its  expression  changed 
to  a  smile  of  haughty  audacity,  as  he  answered: 

"  Let  him  equal  the  eagle  in  his  highest  and  swiftest 
flight,  he  shall  find  us  no  laggards  on  the  wing!  Why  this 
reluctance  to  be  within  a  mile  of  a  vessel  of  the  crown?" 

"  Because  I  know  her  force,  and  the  hopeless  character 
of  a  contest  with  an  enemy  so  superior,"  returned  Wilder, 
firmly.  "  Captain  Heidegger,  you  cannot  fight  yonder  ship 
with  success;  and  unless  instant  use  be  made  of  the  dis- 
tance which  still  exists  between  us,  you  cannot  escape  her. 
Indeed,  I  know  not  but  it  is  already  too  late  to  attempt  the 
latter." 

"  Such,  sir,  is  the  opinion  of  one  who  overrates  the  powers 
of  his  enemy,  because  use,  and  much  talking,  have  taught 
him  to  reverence  it  as  something  more  than  human.  Mr. 
Wilder,  none  are  so  daring,  or  so  modest,  as  those  who  have 
long  been  accustomed  to  place  their  dependence  on  their 
own  exertions.  I  have  been  nigher  to  a  flag  even,  and  yet 
you  see  I  continue  to  keep  on  this  mortal  coil." 

"Hark!  'Tis  a  drum.  The  stranger  is  going  to  his  guns." 
The  Rover  listened  a  moment,  and  was  able  to  '  catch  the 
well-known  beat  which  calls  the  people  of  a  vessel  of  war 
to  their  quarters.  First  casting  a  glance  upwards  at  his 
sails,  and  then  throwing  a  general  and  critical  look  on  all 
and  everything  which  came  within  the  influence  of  his 
command,  he  calmly  answered : 

"  We  will  imitate  his  example,  Mr.  Wilder.  Let  the  or- 
der be  given." 

Until  now,  the  crew  of  the  Dolphin  had  either  been  occu- 
pied in  such  necessary  duties  as  precede  an  action,  or  were 


404  THE  RED  ROVER. 

gazing  at  the  strange  ship.  The  low  but  continued  hum  of 
voices,  sounds  such  as  discipline  permitted,  had  afforded 
the  only  evidence  of  the  interest  they  took  in  the  scene; 
but  the  instant  the  first  tap  on  the  drum  was  heard,  each 
group  severed,  and  every  man  repaired,  with  bustling  activ- 
ity, to  his  well-known  station.  The  stir  among  the  crew 
was  but  of  a  moment's  continuance ;  it  was  succeeded  by  the 
breathing  stillness  which  has  already  been  noticed  in  our 
pages  on  a  similar  occasion.  The  officers,  however,  were 
seen  making  hasty,  but  strict,  inquiries  into  the  conditions 
of  their  several  commands;  while  the  munitions  of  war, 
that  were  drawn  from  their  places  of  deposit,  announced  a 
preparation  more  serious  than  ordinary.  The  Rover  himself 
had  disappeared;  but  it  was  not  long  before  he  was  again 
seen  at  his  elevated  lookout,  accoutred  for  the  conflict  that 
appeared  to  approach,  and  employed,  as  ever,  in  studying 
the  properties,  the  force,  and  the  evolutions  of  his  advanc- 
ing antagonist.  Those  who  knew  him  best,  however,  said 
that  the  question  of  combat  was  not  yet  decided  in  his 
mind;  and  many  eager  glances  were  thrown  in  the  direction 
of  his  eye,  as  if  to  penetrate  the  mystery  in  which  he  chose 
to  conceal  his  purpose.  He  had  thrown  aside  the  sea-cap, 
and  stood  with  his  fair  hair  blowing  about  a  brow  that 
seemed  formed  to  give  birth  to  thoughts  far  nobler  than 
those  which  apparently  had  occupied  his  life;  while  a 
species  of  leathern  helmet  lay  at  his  feet,  the  garniture  of 
which  was*  of  a  nature  to  lend  an  unnatural  fierceness  to  the 
countenance  of  its  wearer.  Whenever  this  boarding-cap  was 
worn,  all  in  the  ship  were  given  to  understand  that  the  mo- 
ment of  serious  strife  was  at  hand ;  but,  as  yet,  that  never- 
failing  evidence  of  the  hostile  intention  of  their  leader  was 
unnoticed. 

In  the  mean  time,  each  officer  had  examined  into  and 
reported  the  state  of  his  division ;  and  then,  by  a  sort  of 
implied  permission  on  the  part  of  their  superiors,  the  death- 
like calm,  which  had  hitherto  reigned  among  the  people, 


THE   RED    ROVER.  405 

was  allowed  .to  be  broken  by  suppressed  but  earnest  dis- 
course; the  calculating  chief  permitting  this  departure  from 
the  usual  rules  of  more  regular  cruisers,  in  order  to  come  at 
the  temper  of  the  crew,  on  which  so  much  of  the  success  of 
his  desperate  enterprises  so  frequently  depended. 


CHAPTER    XXVII. 

For  he  made  me  mad, 

To  see  him  shine  so  brisk,  and  smell  so  sweet, 
And  talk  so  like  a  waiting  gentlewoman. 

King  Henry  IV. 

THE  moment  was  one  of  high  and  earnest  excitement. 
Each  individual  charged  with  a  portion  of  the  subordinate 
authority  of  the  ship  had  examined  into  the  state  of  his 
command,  with  the  care  which  always  deepens  as  responsi- 
bility draws  nigher  to  the  proofs  of  having  been  worthily 
bestowed.  The  voice  of  the  harsh  master  had  ceased  to 
inquire  into  the  state  of  those  several  ropes  and  chains  that 
were  deemed  vital  to  the  safety  of  the  vessel ;  each  chief  of 
a  battery  had  assured  and  reassured  himself  that  his  artil- 
lery was  ready  for  the  most  effective  service ;  extra  ammuni- 
tion had  already  issued  from  its  dark  and  secret  repository ; 
and  even  the  hum  of  dialogue  had  ceased  in  the  all-absorb- 
ing interest  of  the  scene.  Still  the  quick  and  ever-changing 
glance  of  the  Rover  could  detect  no  reason  to  distrust  the 
firmness  of  his  people.  They  were  grave,  as  are  ever  the 
bravest  and  steadiest  in  the  hour  of  trial ;  but  their  gravity 
was  mingled  with  no  signs  of  concern.  It  seemed  rather 
like  the  effect  of  desperate  and  concentrated  resolution, 
such  as  braces  the  human  mind  to  efforts  which  exceed  the 
ordinary  daring  of  martial  enterprise.  To  this  satisfactory 
exhibition  of  the  humor  of  his  crew  the  wary  and  sagacious 
leader  saw  but  three  exceptions;  they  were  found  in  the 
persons  of  his  lieutenant  and  his  two  remarkable  associates. 


406  THE    RED    ROVER. 

It  has  been  seen  that  the  bearing  of  Wilder  was  not 
altogether  such  as  became  one  of  his  rank  in  a  moment  of 
great  trial.  The  keen,  jealous  glances  of  the  Rover  studied 
and  re-studied  his  manner,  without  arriving  at  any  conclu- 
sion as  to  its  cause.  The  color  was  as  fresh  on  the  cheeks 
of  the  youth,  and  his  limbs  were  as  firm  as  in  the  hours  of 
entire  security;  but  the  unsettled  wandering  of  his  eye,  and 
an  air  of  doubt  and  indecision  which  pervaded  a  mien  that 
ought  to  display  qualities  so  opposite,  gave  his  commander 
concern.  As  if  to  find  an  explanation  of  the  enigma  in  the 
deportment  of  the  associates  of  Wilder,  his  look  turned  to 
the  persons  of  Fid  and  the  negro:  They  were  both  stationed 
at  the  piece  nearest  to  the  place  he  himself  occupied,  the 
former  filling  the  station  of  captain  of  the  gun. 

The  ribs  of  the  ship  itself  were  not  firmer  in  their  places 
than  was  the  attitude  of  the  topman,  as  he  occasionally 
squinted  along  the  massive  iron  tube  over  which  he  was 
placed  in  command;  nor  was  that  familiar  and  paternal 
care,  which  distinguishes  the  seaman's  interest  in  his  par- 
ticular trust,  wanting  in  his  manner.  Still,  an  air  of  broad 
and  inexplicable  surprise  had  possession  of  his  rugged 
lineaments;  and  as  his  look  wandered  from  the  countenance 
of  Wilder  to  their  adversary,  it  was  not  difficult  to  discover 
that  he  marvelled  to  find  the  two  in  opposition.  He  neither 
commented  on  nor  complained,  however,  of  an  occurrence 
he  evidently  found  so  extraordinary,  but  appeared  perfectly 
disposed  to  pursue  the  spirit  of  that  well-known  maxim  of 
the  mariner  which  teaches  the  obedient  tar  "  to  obey  orders, 
though  he  break  owners."  Every  portion  of  the  athletic 
form  of  the  negro  was  motionless,  except  his  eyes.  These 
large,  jet-black  orbs,  however,  rolled  incessantly  like  the 
more  dogmatic  organs  of  the  topman,  from  Wilder  to  the 
strange  sail,  seeming  to  drink  in  fresh  draughts  of  aston 
ishment  at  each  new  look. 

Struck  by  these  evident  manifestations  of  some  extraor- 
dinary and  yet  common  sentiment  between  the  two,  the 


THE  RED  ROVER.  4O/ 

Rover  profited  by  his  own  position  and  the  distance  of  the 
lieutenant,  to  address  them.  Leaning  over  the  slight  rail 
that  separated  the  break  of  the  poop  from  the  quarter-deck, 
he  said,  in  that  familiar  manner  which  the  commander  is 
most  wont  to  use  to  his  inferiors  when  their  services  are 
becoming  of  the  greatest  importance: 

"  I  hope,  Master  Fid,  they  have  put  you  at  a  gun  to  your 
liking?" 

"  There  is  not  a  smoother  bore,  nor  a  wider  mouth,  in  the 
ship,  your  honor,  than  these  of  'Blazing  Billy,'"  returned 
the  topman,  giving  the  subject  of  his  commendations  an 
affectionate  slap.  "All  I  ask  is  a  clean  sponge  and  a  tight 
wad.  Guinea,  score  a  foul  anchor,  in  your  own  fashion,  on 
A  half-dozen  of  the  shot;  and,  after  the  matter  is  over,  they 
who  live  through  it  may  go  aboard  the  enemy,  and  see  in 
what  manner  Richard  Fid  has  planted  his  seed." 

"  You  are  not  new  in  action,  Master  Fid?" 

"Lord  bless  your  honor!  gunpowder  is  no  more  than  dry 
tobacco  in  my  nostrils !  tho'f  I  will  say " 

"  You  were  going  to  add " 

'-That  sometimes  I  find  myself  shifted  over,  in  these 
here  affairs,"  returned  the  topman,  glancing  his  eye  first  at 
the  flag  of  France,  and  then  at  the  distant  emblem  of 
England,  "  like  a  jibboom  rigged  abaft,  for  a  jury  to  the 
spanker.  I  suppose  Master  Harry  has  it  all  in  his  pocket, 
in  black  and  white;  but  this  much  I  will  say,  that  if  I  must 
throw  stones,  I  should  rather  see  them  break  a  neighbor's 
crockery  than  that  of  my  own  mother.  I  say,  Guinea  score 
a  couple  more  of  the  shot;  since,  if  the  play  is  to  be  acted, 
I've  a  mind  the  'Blazing  Billy'  should  do  something 
creditable  for  the  honor  of  her  good  name.'7 

The  Rover  drew  back,  thoughtful  and  silent.  He  caught 
a  look  from  Wilder,  whom  he  again  beckoned  to  approach. 

"  Mr.  Wilder,"  he  said,  in  a  tone  of  kindness,  "  I  compre- 
hend your  feelings.  All  have  not  offended  alike  in  yonder 
vessel,  and  you  would  rather  your  service  against  that 


408  THE  RED  ROVER. 

haughty  flag  should  commence  with  some  other  ship.  There 
is  little  else  but  empty  honor  to  be  gained  in  the  conflict? 
—in  tenderness  to  your  feelings,  I  will  avoid  it." 

"  It  is  too  late,"  said  Wilder,  with  a  melancholy  shake  of 
the  head. 

"  You  shall  see  your  error.  The  experiment  may  cost  us 
a  broadside,  but  it  shall  succeed.  Go,  descend  with  our 
guests  to  a  place  of  safety :  by  the  time  you  return,  the  scene 
will  have  undergone  a  change." 

Wilder  eagerly  disappeared  in  the  cabin,  whither  Mrs. 
Wyllys  had  already  withdrawn ;  and,  after  communicating 
the  intentions  of  his  commander  to  avoid  an  action,  he  con- 
ducted them  into  the  depths  of  the  vessel,  in  order  that  no 
casualty  might  arrive  to  embitter  his  recollections  of  the 
hour.  This  grateful  duty  promptly  and  solicitously  per- 
formed, our  adventurer  again  sought  the  deck  with  the 
velocity  of  thought. 

Notwithstanding  his  absence  had  seemed  but  a  moment, 
the  scene  had  indeed  changed  in  all  its  hostile  images.  In 
place  of  the  flag  of  France,  he  found  the  ensign  of  England 
floating  at  the  peak  of  the  Dolphin,  and  a  quick  and  intelli- 
gible exchange  of  signals  in  active  operation  between  the 
two  vessels.  Of  all  that  cloud  of  canvas  which  had  so  lately 
borne  down  the  vessel  of  the  Rover,  her  topsails  alone  re- 
mained distended  to  the  yards;  the  remainder  was  hanging 
in  festoons,  and  fluttering  loosely  before  a  favorable  breeze. 
The  ship  itself  was  running  directly  for  the  stranger,  who, 
in  turn,  was  sullenly  securing  his  lofty  sails,  like  one  who 
was  disappointed  in  a  high-prized  and  expected  object. 

"Now  is  yon  fellow  sorry  to  believe  him  a  friend  whom 
he  had  lately  supposed  an  enemy,"  said  the  Rover,  direct- 
ing the  attention  of  his  lieutenant  to  the  confiding  manner 
with  which  their  neighbor  suffered  himself  to  be  deceived 
by  his  surreptitiously  obtained  signals.  "  It  is  a  tempting 
offer;  but  I  pass  it,  Wilder,  for  your  sake." 

The  gaze   of  the   lieutenant  seemed  bewildered,  but  he 


THE    RED    ROVER.  4OQ 

made  no  reply.  Indeed,  little  time  was  given  for  delibera- 
tion or  discourse.  The  Dolphin  rolled  swiftly  along  her 
briny  path,  and  each  moment  dissipated  the  mist  in  which 
distance  had  enveloped  the  lesser  objects  on  board  the 
stranger.  Guns,  blocks,  ropes,  bolts,  men,  and  even  features 
became  visible,  in  rapid  succession,  as  the  water  that  divided 
them  was  parted  by  the  bows  of  the  lawless  ship.  In  a  few 
minutes  the  stranger,  having  secured  most  of  his  lighter 
canvas,  came  sweeping  up  to  the  wind;  and  then,  as  his 
after-sails,  squared  for  the  purpose,  took  the  breeze  on  their 
outer  surface,  the  mass  of  his  hull  became  stationary. 

The  people  of  the  Dolphin  had  so  far  imitated  the  con- 
fiding credulity  of  the  deceived  cruisefof  the  crown,  as  to 
furl  all  their  lofty  duck,  each  man  employed  in  the  service 
trusting  implicitly  to  the  discretion  and  daring  of  the  singu- 
lar being  whose  pleasure  it  was  to  bring  their  ship  into  so 
hazardous  a  proximity  to  a  powerful  enemy — qualities  that 
had  been  known  to  avail  them  in  circumstances  of  even 
greater  delicacy  than  those  in  which  they  were  now  placed. 
With  this  air  of  audacious  confidence,  the  dreaded  Rover 
came  gliding  down  upon  her  unsuspecting  neighbor,  until 
within  a  few  hundred  feet  of  her  weather-beam,  when  she 
too,  with  a  graceful  curve  in  her  course,  bore  up  against 
the  breeze  and  came  to  a  state  of  rest.  But  Wilder,  who 
regarded  all  the  movements  of  his  superior  in  silent  amaze- 
ment, was  not  slow  in  observing  that  the  head  of  the  Dol- 
phin was  laid  a  different  way  from  that  of  the  other,  and 
that  the  progress  had  been  arrested  by  the  counteracting 
position  of  her  head-yards;  a  circumstance  that  afforded  the 
advantage  of  a  quicker  command  of  the  ship,  should  there 
be  need  to  require  a  sudden  recourse  to  the  guns. 

The  Dolphin  was  still  drifting  slowly  under  the  influ- 
ence of  her  recent  motion,  when  the  customary  hoarse  and 
nearly  unintelligible  summons  came  over  the  water,  demand- 
ing her  appellation  and  character.  The  Rover  applied  his 
trumpet  to  his  lips,  with  a  glance  directed  towards  his  lieu- 


4IO  THE  RED  ROVER. 

tenant,  and  returned  the  name  of  a  ship  in  the  service  of 
the  king,  that  was  known  to  be  of  the  size  and  force  of  his 
own  vessel. 

"  Ay,  ay,"  returned  a  voice  from  the  other  ship,  "  'twas 
so,  I  made  out  your  signals." 

The  hail  was  then  reciprocated,  and  the  name  of  the  royal 
cruiser  given  in  return,  followed  by  an  invitation  from  her 
commander  to  visit  his  superior. 

Thus  far,  no  more  had  occurred  than  was  usual  between 
seamen  in  the  same  service ;  but  the  affair  was  rapidly  arriv- 
ing at  a  point  that  most  men  would  have  found  too  embarrass- 
ing for  further  deception.  Still  the  observant  eye  of  Wilder 
detected  no  hesitation  or  doubt  in  the  manner  of  his  chief. 
The  beat  of  the  drum  was  heard  from  the  cruiser,  announc- 
ing the  "  retreat  from  quarters" ;  and,  with  perfect  compo- 
sure, he  directed  the  same  signal  to  be  given  for  his  own 
people  to  retire  from  their  guns.  In  short,  five  minutes 
established  every  appearance  of  entire  confidence  and 
amity  between  two  vessels  which  would  have  soon  been  at 
deadly  strife,  had  the  true  character  of  one  been  known  to 
the  other.  In  this  state  of  the  doubtful  game  he  played, 
and  with  the  invitation  still  ringing  in  the  ears  of  Wilder, 
the  Rover  motioned  his  lieutenant  to  his  side. 

"  You  hear  that  I  am  desired  to  visit  my  senior  in  the 
service  of  his  majesty,"  he  said,  smiling  ironically.  "Is  it 
your  pleasure  to  be  of  the  party?" 

The  start  with  which  Wilder  received  this  hardy  proposal 
was  far  too  natural  to  proceed  from  any  counterfeited 
emotion. 

"You  are  not  so  mad  as  to  run  the  risk!"  he  exclaimed, 
when  words  were  at  command. 

"  If  you  fear  for  yourself,  I  can  go  alone." 

"Fear!"  echoed  the  youth,  a  bright  flush  giving  an  addi- 
tional glow  to  the  flashing  in  his  kindling  eyes.  "  It  is  not 
fear,  Captain  Heidegger,  but  prudence  that  tells  me  to  keep 
concealed.  My  presence  would  betray  the  character  of  this 


THE   RED    ROVER.  4 1  I 

ship.  You  forget  that  I  am  known  to  all  in  yonder 
cruiser." 

"  I  had  indeed  forgotten  that  portion  of  the  plot.  Then 
remain  while  I  go  to  play  upon  the  credulity  of  his  majesty's 
captain." 

Without  waiting  for  an  answer,  the  Rover  led  the  way 
below,  signing  for  his  companion  to  follow.  A  few  mo- 
ments sufficed  to  arrange  the  fair  golden  locks  that  imparted 
such  a  look  of  youth  and  vivacity  to  the  countenance  of  the 
former.  The  undress,  fanciful  frock  he  wore  in  common 
was  exchanged  for  the  attire  of  one  of  his  assumed  rank  and 
service,  which  had  been  made  to  fit  his  person  with  the  nicest 
care,  and  with  a  coxcombical  attention  to  the  proportions  of 
his  really  fine  person ;  and  in  all  other  things  was  he 
speedily  equipped  for  the  disguise  he  chose  to  affect.  No 
sooner  were  these  alterations  completed  (and  they  were 
affected  with  a  brevity  and  readiness  that  manifested  much 
practice  in  similar  artifices),  than  he  disposed  himself  to 
proceed  on  the  intended  experiment. 

"  Truer  and  quicker  eyes  have  been  deceived,"  he  coolly 
observed,  turning  his  glance  from  a  mirror  to  the  counte- 
nance of  his  lieutenant,  "  than  those  which  embellish  the 
rugged  countenance  of  Captain  Bignall." 

"You  know  him,  then?" 

"  Mr.  Wilder,  my  business  imposes  the  necessity  of  know- 
ing much  that  other  men  overlook.  Now  is  this  adventure, 
which,  by  your  features,  I  perceive  you  deem  so  forlorn  in 
its  hopes  of  success,  one  of  easy  achievement.  I  am  con- 
vinced that  not  an  officer  or  man  on  board  the  Dart  has  ever 
seen  the  ship  whose  name  I  have  chosen  to  usurp.  She  is 
too  fresh  from  the  stocks  to  incur  that  risk.  Then  there  is 
little  probability  that  I,  in  my  other  self,  shall  be  compelled 
to  acknowledge  acquaintance  with  any  of  her  officers;  for 
you  well  know  that  years  have  passed  since  your  late  ship 
has  been  in  Europe;  and,  by  running  your  eye  over  these 
books,  you  will  perceive  I  am  that  favored  mortal,  the  son 


412  THE    RED    ROVER. 

of  a  lord,  and  have  not  grown  only  into  command,  but  into 
manhood,  since  her  departure  from  home." 

"  These  are  certainly  favoring  circumstances,  and  such 
as  I  had  not  the  sagacity  to  detect.  But  why  incur  the  risk 
at  all?" 

"  Why !  Perhaps  there  is  a  deep-laid  scheme  to  learn  if 
the  prize  would  repay  the  loss  of  her  capture — perhaps  it 
is  only  my  humor.  There  is  fearful  excitement  in  the  ad- 
venture!" 

"  And  there  is  fearful  danger." 

"  I  never  count  the  price  of  these  enjoyments,  Wilder,"  he 
added,  turning  to  him  with  a  look  of  frank  and  courteous 
confidence.  "  I  place  life  and  honor  in  your  keeping ;  for 
to  me  it  would  be  dishonor  to  desert  the  interests  of  my 
crew." 

"  The  trust  shall  be  respected,"  repeated  our  adventurer, 
in  a  tone  so  deep  and  choked  as  to  be  nearly  unintelligible. 

Regarding  the  countenance  of  his  companion  intently  for 
an  instant,  the  Rover  smiled  as  if  he  approved  of  the 
pledge,  waved  his  hand  in  adieu,  and  turning,  was  about  to 
leave  the  cabin ;  but  a  third  form,  at  that  moment,  caught 
his  wandering  glance.  Laying  a  hand  lightly  on  the  shoul- 
der of  the  boy,  whose  form  was  placed  somewhat  obtrusively 
in  his  way,  he  demanded,  a  little  sternly: 

"Roderick,  what  means  this  preparation?" 

"  To  follow  my  master  to  the  boat." 

"  Boy,  thy  service  is  not  needed." 

"  It  is  rarely  wanted  of  late." 

"  Why  should*  I  add  unnecessarily  to  the  risk  of  lives, 
when  no  good  can  attend  the  hazard?" 

"In  risking  your  own,  you  risk  all  to  me." 

The  answer  was  given  in  a  tone  so  resigned,  and  yet  so 
faltering,  that  the  tremulous  and  nearly  smothered  sounds 
caught  no  ears  but  those  for  whom  they  were  intended. 

The  Rover  for  a  time  replied  not.  His  hand  still  kept 
its  place  on  the  shoulder  of  the  boy,  whose  working  features 


THE    RED    ROVER.  413 

he  read,  as  the  eye  is  sometimes  wont  to  penetrate  the 
mysteries  of  the  heart. 

"  Roderick,"  he  said,  in  a  milder  and  kinder  voice,  "your 
lot  shall  be  mine :  we  will  go  together." 

Dashing  his  hand  hastily  across  his  brow,  the  wayward 
chief  ascended  the  ladder,  attended  by  the  lad,  and  fol- 
lowed by  the  individual  in  whose  faith  he  reposed  so  great  a 
trust.  The  step  with  which  the  Rover  trod  the  deck  was 
firm,  and  the  bearing  of  his  form  as  steady  as  if  he  felt  no 
hazard  in  his  undertaking.  His  look  passed,  with  a 
seaman's  care,  from  sail  to  sail ;  not  a  brace,  yard,  or  bow- 
line escaped  the  quick  glances  he  cast  about  him,  before 
he  proceeded  to  the  side.  At  length  he  entered  a  boat 
which  he  had  ordered  to  be  in  waiting.  A  glimmering  of 
distrust  and  hesitation  was  now  for  the  first  time,  discov- 
erable through  the  decision  of  his  features.  For  a  moment 
his  foot  lingered  on  the  ladder.  "  Davis,"  he  said  sternly, 
speaking  to  the  individual  whom,  by  experience,  he  knew 
to  be  well  practised  in  treachery,  "  leave  the  boat.  Send  me 
the  gruff  captain  of  the  forecastle  in  his  place.  So  bold  a 
talker  in  common  should  know  how  to  be  silent  at  need." 

The  exchange  was  instantly  made;  for  no  one  there  was 
ever  known  to  dispute  a  mandate  that  was  uttered  with  an 
air  of  authority  he  then  wore.  A  deeply  intent  attitude  of 
thought  succeeded;  then  every  shadow  of  care  vanished 
from  his  brow.  A  look  of  high  and  generous  confidence  was 
seated  in  its  place,  as  he  added : 

"Wilder,  adieu!  I  leave  you  captain  of  my  people,  and 
master  of  my  fate :  I  am  certain  that  both  trusts  are  reposed 
in  worthy  hands." 

Without  waiting  for  reply,  as  if  scorning  the  vain  cere- 
mony of  idle  assurances,  he  descended  swiftly  into  the  boat, 
which  at  the  next  instant  was  pulling  boldly  towards  the 
king's  cruiser.  The  brief  interval  between  the  departure 
of  the  adventurers  and  their  arrival  at  the  hostile  ship 
was  one  of  intense  and  absorbing  suspense  on  the  part  of 


414  THE  RED  ROVER. 

all  whom  they  had  left  behind.  The  individual  most  in- 
terested in  the  event,  however,  betrayed  none  of  the  anxiety 
which  so  intently  beset  the  minds  of  his  followers.  He 
mounted  the  side  of  his  enemy  amid  the  honors  due  to  his 
imaginary  rank  with  a  self-possession  and  ease  that  might 
readily  have  been  mistaken  by  those  who  believe  these 
fancied  qualities  have  a  real  existence,  for  the  grace  and 
dignity  of  lofty  recollections  and  high  birth.  His  recep- 
tion by  the  honest  veteran,  whose  long  and  hard  services 
had  received  but  a  meagre  reward  in  the  vessel  he  com- 
manded, was  frank,  manly,  and  seamanlike.  The  usual 
greetings  had  no  sooner  passed,  than  the  latter  conducted 
his  guest  into  his  own  apartments. 

"  Find  such  a  berth,  Captain  Howard,  as  suits  your  in- 
clination," said  the  unceremonious  old  seaman,  seating  him- 
self as  frankly  as  he  invited  his  companion  to  imitate  his 
example.  "  A  gentleman  of  your  extraordinary  merit  must 
be  reluctant  to  lose  time  in  useless  words,  though  you  are 
so  young — young  for  the  pretty  command  it  is  your  good 
fortune  to  enjoy!" 

"On  the  contrary,  I  do  assure  you  I  begin  to  feel  myself 
quite  an  antediluvian,"  returned  the  Rover,  coolly  placing 
himself  at  the  opposite  side  of  the  table,  where  he  might, 
from  time  to  time,  look  his  half -disgusted  companion  in  the 
eye:  "would  you  imagine  it,  sir,  I  shall  have  reached  the 
age  of  three-and-twenty,  if  I  live  through  the  day?" 

"  I  had  given  you  a  few  more  years,  young  gentleman ; 
but  London  can  ripen  the  human  face  as  speedily  as  the 
equator." 

u  You  never  said  truer  words,  sir.  Of  all  cruising  grounds, 
Heaven  defend  me  from  that  of  St.  James's !  I  do  assure 
you,  Bignall,  the  service  is  quite  sufficient  to  wear  out  the 
strongest  constitution.  There  were  moments  when  I  really 
thought  I  should  have  died  that  humble,  disagreeable  mor- 
tal— a  lieutenant!" 

"  Your   disease  would   then   have  been  a  galloping  con- 


THE    RED    ROVER.  415 

sumption!"  muttered  the  old  seaman.  "They  have  sent 
you  out  in  a  pretty  boat  at  last,  Captain  Howard." 

"  She's  bearable,  Bignall,  but  frightfully  small.  I  told 
my  father  that,  if  the  first  lord  didn't  speedily  regenerate 
the  service  by  building  more  comfortable  vessels,  the  navy 
would  get  altogether  into  vulgar  hands.  Don't  you  find  the 
motion  excessively  annoying  in  these  single-decked  ships, 
Bignall?" 

"  When  a  man  has  been  tossing  up  and  down  for  five- 
and-forty  years,  Captain  Howard,"  returned  his  host,  strok- 
ing his  gray  locks,  for  want  of  some  other  manner  of 
suppressing  his  ire,  "  he  gets  to  be  indifferent  whether  his 
ship  pitches  a  foot  more  or  a  foot  less." 

"Ah!  that,  I  dare  say,  is  what  one  calls  philosophical 
equanimity,  though  it  is  little  to  my  humor.  But,  after  this 
cruise,  I  am  to  be  posted ;  and  then  I  shall  make  interest 
for  a  guardship  in  the  Thames :  everything  goes  by  interest, 
nowadays,  you  know,  Bignall?" 

The  honest  old  tar  swallowed  his  displeasure  as  well  as 
he  could:  and,  as  the  most  effectual  means  of  keeping  him- 
self in  a  condition  to  do  credit  to  his  own  hospitality,  he 
hastened  to  change  the  subject. 

"  I  hope,  among  other  new  fashions,  Captain  Howard," 
he  said,  "  the  flag  of  Old  England  continues  to  fly  over  the 
Admiralty.  You  wore  the  colors  of  Louis  so  long  this 
morning,  that  another  half -hour  might  have  brought  us  to 
loggerheads." 

"Oh!  that  was  an  excellent  military  ruse!  I  shall  cer- 
tainly write  the  particulars  of  that  deception  home." 

"Do  so;  do  so,  sir;  you  may  get  knighthood  for  the 
exploit." 

"Horrible,  Bignall!  my  lady-mother  would  faint  at  the 
suggestion.  Nothing  so  low  has  been  in  the  family,  I  do 
assure  you  since  the  time  when  chivalry  was  genteel." 

"  Well,  well,  Captain  Howard,  it  was  happy  for  us  both 
that  you  got  rid  of  your  Gallic  humor  so  soon ;  for  a  little 


4l6  THE    RED    ROVER. 

more  time  would  have  drawn  a  broadside  from  me.  .By 
heavens,  sir,  the  guns  of  this  ship  would  have  gone  off  of 
themselves  in  another  five  minutes!" 

"  It  is  quite  happy  as  it  is.  What  do  you  find  to  amuse 
you  (yawning)  in  this  dull  quarter  of  the  world,  Bignall?" 

"Why,  sir,  what  between  his  majesty's  enemies,  the  care 
of  my  ship,  and  the  company  of  my  officers,  I  find  few 
heavy  moments." 

"  Ah !  your  officers :  true,  you  must  have  officers  on  board ; 
though,  I  suppose,  they  are  a  little  oldish  to  be  agreeable 
\.Q you.  Will  you  favor  me  with  a  sight  of  the  list?" 

The  commander  of  the  Dart  did  as  he  was  requested, 
putting  the  quarter-bill  of  his  ship  into  the  hands  of  his 
unknown  enemy,  with  an  eye  that  was  far  too  honest  to 
condescend  to  bestow  even  a  look  on  a  being  so  despised. 

"  What  a  list  of  thorough  'mouthers!  All  Yarmouth,  and 
Plymouth,  and  Portsmouth,  and  Exmouth  names,  I  do 
affirm.  Here  are  Smiths  enough  to  do  the  iron-work  of  the 
whole  ship.  Ha!  here  is  a  fellow  that  might  do  good  ser- 
vice in  a  deluge.  Who  may  this  Henry  Ark  be,  that  I  find 
rated  as  your  first  lieutenant?" 

"  A  youth  who  wants  but  a  few  drops  of  your  blood,  Cap- 
tain Howard,  to  be  one  day  at  the  head  of  his  majesty's 
fleet." 

"  If  he  be  then  so  extraordinary  for  his  merit,  Captain 
Bignall,  may  I  presume  on  your  politeness  to  ask  him  to 
favor  us  with  his  society.  I  always  give  my  lieutenant  half 
an  hour  of  a  morning — if  he  happen  to  be  bearable." 

"  Poor  boy !  God  knows  where  he  is  to  be  found  at  this 
moment.  The  noble  fellow  has  embarked,  of  his  own 
accord,  on  a  most  dangerous  service,  and  I  am  as  ignorant 
as  yourself  of  his  success.  Remonstrance,  and  even  en- 
treaties, were  of  no  avail.  The  admiral  had  great  need  of 
a  suitable  agent,  and  the  good  of  the  nation  demanded  the 
risk;  then,  you  know,  men  of  humble  birth  must  earn  their 
preferment  in  cruising  elsewhere  than  at  St.  James's;  for  the 


THE    RED    ROVER. 

brave  lad  is  indebted  to  a  wreck,  in  which  he  was  found  an 
infant,  for  the  very  name  you  find  so  singular." 

"  He  is,  however,  still  borne  upon  your  books  as  first 
lieutenant,  I  see?" 

"  And  I  hope  ever  will  be,  until  he  shall  get  the  ship  he 
so  well  merits.  Good  Heaven!  are  you  ill,  Captain 
Howard?  Boy,  a  tumbler  of  grog  here." 

"I  thank  you,  sir,"  returned  the*  Rover,  smiling  calmly, 
and  rejecting  the  offered  beverage,  as  the  blood  returned  into 
his  features  with  a  violence  that  threatened  to  breakthrough 
the  ordinary  boundaries  of  its  currents.  "  It  is  no  more 
than  an  ailing  I  inherit  from  my  mother.  We  call  it  in  our 
family,  the  'De  Vere  ivory;'  for  no  other  reason  that  I  could 
ever  learn,  than  that  one  of  my  female  ancestors  was  par- 
ticularly startled,  in  a  delicate  situation,  you  know,  by  an 
elephant's  tooth.  I  am  told  it  has  rather  an  amiable  look, 
while  it  lasts." 

"It  has  the  look  of  a  man  who  is  fitter  for  his  mother's 
nursery  than  a  gale  of  wind.  But  I  am  glad  it  is  so  soon 
over." 

"  No  one  wears  the  same  face  long  nowadays,  Bignall. 
And  so  this  Mr.  Ark  is  not  anybody,  after  all?" 

"I  know  not  what  you  call  'anybody,'  sir;  but,  if  sterl- 
ing courage,  great  professional  merit,  and  stern  loyalty 
count  for  anything  in  your  estimation,  Captain  Howard, 
Henry  Ark  will  soon  be  in  command  of  a  frigate." 

"  Perhaps,  if  one  only  knew  exactly  on  what  to  found  his 
claims,"  continued  the  Rover,  with  a  smile  so  kind,  and  a 
voice  so  insinuating,  that  they  half  counteracted  the  effect 
of  his  assumed  manner,  "  a  word  might  be  dropped,  in  a 
letter  home,  that  should  do  the  youth  no  harm." 

"  I  would  to  Heaven  I  dared  but  reveal  the  nature  of  the 
service  he  is  on !"  eagerly  returned  the  warm-hearted  old 
seaman,  who  was  as  quick  to  forget,  as  he  was  sudden  to  feel, 
disgust.  You  may,  however,  safely  say,  from  his  general 
character,  that  it  is  honorable,  hazardous,  and  has  the  en- 
27 


418  THE    RED    ROVER. 

tire  good  of  his  majesty's  subjects  in  view.  Indeed,  an 
hour  has  scarcely  gone  by  since  I  thought  it  was  completely 
successful.  Do  you  often  set  your  lofty  sails,  Captain 
Howard,  while  the  heavier  canvas  is  rolled  upon  the  yards? 
To  me,  a  ship  clothed  in  that  style  looks  something  like  a 
man  with  his  coat  on,  before  he  had  cased  his  legs  in  the 
lower  garment." 

"  You  allude  to  the  accident  of  my  main-topgallant-sail 
getting  loose  when  you  first  made  me?" 

"  I  mean  no  other.  We  caught  a  glimpse  of  your  spars 
with  the  glass;  but  had  lost  you  altogether,  when  the  flying 
duck  met  the  eye  of  a  lookout.  To  say  the  least  it  was 
remarkable,  and  it  might  have  proved  an  awkward  circum- 
stance." 

"Ah!  I  often  do  things  in  that  way,  in  order  to  be  odd. 
It  is  a  sign  of  cleverness  to  be  odd.  But  I,  too,  am  sent 
into  these  seas  on  a  special  errand." 

"Such  as  what?"  bluntly  demanded  his  companion,  with 
an  uneasiness  about  his  frowning  eye  that  he  was  far  too 
simple-minded  to  conceal. 

"To  look  for  a  ship  that  will  certainly  give  me  a  famous 
lift,  should  I  have  the  good  luck  to  fall  in  with  her.  For 
some  time,  I  took  you  for  the  very  gentleman  I  was  in 
search  of;  and  I  do  assure  you,  too,  if  your  signals  had  not 
been  so  very  unexceptionable,  something  serious  might  have 
happened  between  us." 

"And  pray,  sir,  for  whom  did  you  take  me?" 

"For  no  other  than  that  notorious  knave,  the  Red 
Rover." 

"The  devil  you  did!  And  do  you  suppose,  Captain 
Howard,  there  is  a  pirate  afloat  who  carries  such  hamper 
above  his  head  as  is  to  be  found  aboard  the  Dart?  Such  a 
set  to  her  sails — such  a  step  to  her  masts — and  such  a  trim 
to  her  hull?  I  hope,  for  the  honor  of  your  vessel,  sir,  that 
the  mistake  went  no  further  than  the  captain!" 

'*  Until  we  got  within  reading  distance  of  the  signals,  at 


THE    RED    ROVER.  419 

least  a  moiety  of  the  better  opinions  in  my  ship  was  dead 
against  you,  Bignall,  I  give  you  my  declaration.  You're 
really  been  so  long  from  home,  that  the  Dart  is  getting 
quite  a  roving  look.  You  may  not  be  sensible  of  it,  but  I 
assure  you  of  the  fact  merely  as  a  friend." 

"  And,  perhaps,  since  you  did  me  the  honor  to  mistake 
my  vessel  for  a  freebooter,"  returnee!  the  old  tar,  smothering 
his  ire  in  a  look  of  facetious  irony,  which  changed  the  ex- 
pression of  his  mouth  to  a  grim  grin,  "  you  might  have  con- 
ceited this  honest  gentleman  here  to  be  no  other  than 
Beelzebub." 

As  he  spoke,  the  commander  of  the  ship  which  had  borne 
so  odious  an  imputation  directed  the  eyes  of  his  companion 
to  the  form  of  a  third  individual,  who  entered  the  cabin 
with  the  freedom  of  a  privileged  person,  but  with  a  tread 
so  light  as  to  be  inaudible.  As  this  unexpected  form  met 
the  quick,  impatient  glance  of  the  pretended  officer  of  the 
crown,  he  arose  involuntarily,  and,  for  half  a  minute,  that 
admirable  command  of  muscle  and  nerve  which  had  served 
him  so  well  in  maintaining  his  masquerade  appeared  en- 
tirely to  desert  him.  The  loss  of  self-possession,  however, 
was  but  for  a  time  so  short  as  to  attract  no  notice ;  and  he 
coolly  returned  the  salutation  of  an  aged  man,  of  a  meek 
and  subdued  look,  with  that  air  of  blandness  and  courtesy 
which  he  so  well  knew  how  to  assume. 

"  This  gentleman  is  your  chaplain,  sir,  I  presume,  by  his 
clerical  attire,"  he  said,  after  he  had  exchanged  bows  with 
the  stranger. 

"  He  is,  sir.  A  worthy  and  an  honest  man,  whom  I  am 
not  ashamed  to  call  my  friend.  After  a  separation  of  thirty 
years,  the  admiral  has  been  good  enough  to  lend  him  to  me 
for  the  cruise ;  and,  though  my  ship  is  none  of  the  largest,  I 
believe  he  finds  himself  as  comfortable  in  her  as  he  would 
aboard  the  flag.  This  gentleman,  doctor,  is  the  Honorable 
Captain  Howard,  of  his  majesty's  ship  Antelope.  I  need 
not  expatiate  on  his  remarkable  merit,  since  the  command 


42O  THE    RED    ROVER. 

he  bears  at  his  years  is  a  sufficient  testimony  on  that  impor- 
tant particular." 

There  was  a  look  of  bewildered  surprise  in  the  gaze  of  the 
divine,  when  his  glance  first  fell  upon  the  features  of  the 
pretended  scion  of  nobility;  but  it  was  far  less  striking 
than  had  been  that  of  the  subject  of  his  gaze,  and  of  much 
shorter  continuance.  He  bowed  meekly,  and  with  the 
respect  which  long  use  begets  in  those  who  are  accustomed 
to  pay  deference  to  hereditary  rank ;  but  he  did  not  appear 
to  consider  that  the  occasion  required  more  than  the  cus- 
tomary words  of  salutation.  The  Rover  turned  calmly  to 
his  veteran  companion,  and  continued  the  discourse. 

"Captain  Bignall,"  he  said,  again  wearing  that  grace  of 
manner  which  became  him  so  well,  "  it  is  my  duty  to  follow 
your  motions  in  this  interview.  I  will  now  return  to  my 
ship ;  and  if,  as  I  begin  to  suspect,  we  are  in  these  seas  on 
a  similar  errand,  we  can  concert  at  our  leisure  a  system  of 
cooperation  which,  properly  matured  by  your  experience,  may 
serve  to  bring  about  the  common  end  we  have  in  view." 

Greatly  mollified  by  this  concession  to  his  years  and  to 
his  rank,  the  commander  of  the  Dart  pressed  his  hospitali- 
ties more  warmly  on  his  guest,  winding  up  his  civilities  by 
an  invitation  to  join  in  a  marine  feast  at  an  hour  somewhat 
later  in  the  day.  All  the  former  offers  were  politely 
declined,  while  the  latter  was  accepted;  the  invited  making 
the  invitation  itself  an  excuse  that  he  should  return  to  his 
vessel,  in  order  that  he  might  select  such  of  his  officers  as  he 
should  deem  most  worthy  of  participating  in  the  promised 
banquet.  The  veteran  and  really  meritorious  Bignall,  not- 
withstanding the  ordinary  sturdy  blustering  of  his  character, 
had  served  too  long  in  indigence  and  comparative  obscurity 
not  to  feel  some  of  the  longings  of  human  nature  for  his 
hard-earned  and  protracted  preferment.  He  consequently 
kept,  in  the  midst  of  all  his  native  and  manly  honesty,  a 
wary  eye  on  the  means  of  accomplishing  this  material  ob- 
ject. It  is  to  occasion  no  surprise,  therefore,  that  his  part- 


THE   RED   ROVER.  421 

ing  from  the  supposed  son  of  a  powerful  champion  at  court 
was  more  amicable  than  the  meeting.  The  Rover  was 
bowed  from  the  cabin  to  the  deck,  with  at  least  an  appear- 
ance of  returning  good-will.  On  reaching  the  latter,  a  hur- 
ried, suspicious,  and  perhaps  an  uneasy  glance  was  thrown 
from  his  restless  eyes  on  many  faces  that  were  grouped 
around  the  gangway;  but  their  expression  became  calm 
again,  and  a  little  supercilious  withal,  in  order  to  do  no  dis- 
credit to  the  part  in  the  comedy  which  it  was  his  present 
humor  to  enact.  Then,  shaking  the  worthy  and  thoroughly 
deceived  old  seaman  heartily  by  the  hand,  he  touched  his 
hat,  with  an  air  half -haughty,  half -condescend  ing  to  his 
inferiors.  He  was  in  the  act  of  descending  into  the  boat, 
when  the  chaplain  was  seen  to  whisper  something,  with 
great  earnestness,  in  the  ear  of  his  captain.  The  commander 
hastened  to  recall  his  departing  guest,  desiring  him,  with 
startling  gravity,  to  lend  him  his  private  attention  for 
another  moment.  Suffering  himself  to  be  led  apart  by  the 
two,  the  Rover  stood  awaiting  their  pleasure,  with  a  cool- 
ness of  demeanor  that,  under  the  peculiar  circumstances  of 
his  case,  did  signal  credit  to  his  nerves. 

"  Captain  Howard,"  resumed  the  warm-hearted  Bignall, 
"have  you  a  gentleman  of  the  cloth  in  your  vessel?" 

"  Two,  sir,"  was  the  answer. 

"Two!  It  is  rare  to  find  a  supernumerary  priest  in  a  man 
of  war!  But,  I  suppose,  court  influence  could  give  the  fel- 
low a  bishop,"  muttered  the  other.  "  You  are  fortunate  in 
this  particular,  young  gentleman,  since  I  am  indebted  to  in- 
clination, rather  than  to  custom,  for  the  society  of  my  worthy 
friend  here.  He  has,  however,  made  a  point  that  I  should 
include  the  reverend  gentleman — I  should  say  gentlemen — 
in  the  invitation." 

"  You  shall  have  all  the  divinity  of  my  ship,  Bignall, 
on  my  faith." 

"  I  believe  I  was  particular  in  naming  your  first  lieu- 
tenant." 


422  THE    RED    ROVER. 

"Oh!  dead  or  alive,  he  shall  surely  be  of  your  party," 
returned  the  Rover,  with  a  suddenness  and  vehemence  of 
utterance  that  occasioned  both  his  auditors  to  start  with 
surprise.  "  You  may  not  find  him  an  ark  to  rest  your  weary 
foot  on ;  but,  such  as  he  is,  he  is  entirely  at  your  service. 
And  now,  once  more,  I  salute  you." 

Bowing  again,  he  proceeded,  with  his  former  deliberate 
air,  over  the  gangway,  keeping  his  eye  riveted  on  the  lofty 
gear  of  the  Dart  as  he  descended  her  side,  with  the  sort  of 
expression  with  which  a  petit-maitre  is  apt  to  regard  the 
fashion  of  the  garments  of  one  newly  arrived  from  the  prov- 
inces. His  superior  repeated  his  invitation  with  warmth, 
and  waved  his  hand  in  a  frank  but  temporary  adieu ;  thus 
unconsciously  suffering  the  man  to  escape  him,  whose  cap- 
ture would  have  purchased  the  long  postponed  and  still  dis- 
tant advantages  for  whose  possession  he  secretly  pined  with 
the  withering  longings  of  a  hope  cruelly  deferred. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

—Let  them  accuse  me  by  invention;  I  will  answer  in  mine  honor. 

Coriolanus. 

"  YES,"  muttered  the  Rover,  as  his  boat  rowed  under  the 
stern  of  the  royal  cruiser;  "yes!  I,  and  my  officers,  will 
taste  of  your  banquet !  But  the  viands  shall  be  such  as  these 
hirelings  of  the  king  shall  little  relish!  Pull  with  a  will, 
my  men,  pull ;  in  an  hour,  you  shall  rummage  the  store- 
rooms of  that  fool  for  your  reward!" 

The  greedy  freebooters  could  scarcely  restrain  their 
shouts,  in  order  to  maintain  the  air  of  moderation  which 
policy  still  imposed;  but  they  gave  vent  to  their  excite- 
ment, by  redoubling  their  efforts  to  regain  their  own  ship. 
In  another  minute,  the  adventurers  were  all  in  safety  again 
under  the  sheltering  guns  of  the  Dolphin. 


THE   RED   ROVER.  423 

His  people  gathered,  from  the  haughty  eye  of  the  Rover, 
as  his  foot  once  more  touched  the  deck  of  his  own  ship,  that 
the  period  of  action  was  at  hand.  For  an  instant,  he  lingered 
on  the  quarter-deck,  surveying,  with  stern  joy,  the  sturdy 
materials  of  his  command;  then  he  abruptly  entered  his 
cabin,  forgetful  that  he  had  conceded  it  to  others,  or,  in  the 
excited  state  of  his  mind  indifferent  to  the  circumstance. 
A  sudden  and  tremendous  blow  on  the  gong  announced  not 
only  his  presence,  but  his  humor. 

"  Let  the  first  lieutenant  be  told  I  await  him,"  was  the 
order  that  followed  the  appearance  of  the  attendant  he  had 
summoned. 

During  the  short  period  which  elapsed  before  his  man- 
date could  be  obeyed,  the  Rover  seemed  struggling  with  a 
passion  that  choked  him.  But  when  the  door  of  the  cabin 
was  opened,  and  Wilder  stood  before  him,  the  most  sus- 
picious and  closest  observer  might  have  sought  in  vain  any 
evidence  of  the  fierce  feelings  which  agitated  the  inward 
man.  With  the  recovery  of  his  self-command  returned  a 
recollection  of  the  manner  of  his  intrusion  into  a  place 
which  he  had  himself  ordained  should  be  privileged.  It 
was  then  that  he  first  sought  the  shrinking  females,  and 
hastened  to  relieve  the  terror  that  was  too  plainly  to  be  seen 
in  their  countenances,  bywords  of  apology  and  explanation. 

"  In  the  hurry  of  an  interview  with  a  friend,"  he  said,  "  I 
may  have  forgotten  that  I  am  host  to  even  such  guests  as  it 
is  my  happiness  to  entertain,  though  I  discharge  my  duties 
so  indifferently." 

"Spare  your  civilities,  sir,"  said  Mrs.  Wyllys,  with 
dignity.  "  In  order  to  make  us  less  sensible  of  intrusion, 
be  pleased  to  act  the  master  here." 

The  Rover  first  saw  the  ladies  seated;  and  then,  like  one 
who  appeared  to  think  the  occasion  might  excuse  any  little 
departure  from  customary  forms,  he  signed,  with  a  smile  of 
high  courtesy,  to  his  lieutenant  to  imitate  their  example. 

"His  majesty's  artisans  have  sent  worse  ships  than  the 


4^4  *HE   RED   ROVER. 

Dart  upon  the  ocean,  Wilder,"  he  commenced,  significantly, 
as  if  he  intended  that  the  other  should  supply  all  the  mean- 
ing that  his  words  did  not  express:  "but  his  ministers 
might  have  selected  a  more  observant  individual  for  the 
command." 

"  Captain  Bignall  has  the  reputation  of  a  brave  and  hon- 
est man." 

"He  should  deserve  it;  strip  him  of  these  two  qualities, 
and  little  would  remain.  He  gives  me  to  understand  that 
he  is  especially  sent  into  this  latitude  in  quest  of  a  ship 
that  we  have  all  heard  of,  either  in  good  or  in  evil  report; 
I  speak  of  the  Red  Rover!" 

The  involuntary  start  of  Mrs.  Wyllys,  and  the  sudden 
manner  in  which  Gertrude  grasped  the  arm  of  her  governess, 
was  certainly  seen  by  the  speaker,  but  in  no  degree  did  his 
manner  betray  the  consciousness  of  such  an  observation. 
His  self-possession  was  admirably  emulated  by  Wilder,  who 
answered  with  a  composure  that  no  jealousy  could  have 
seen  was  assumed: 

"  His  cruise  will  be  hazardous,  not  to  say  without  success." 

"  It  may  prove  both.  And  yet  he  has  lofty  expectations  of 
the  results." 

"  He  probably  labors  under  the  common  error  as  to  the 
character  of  the  man  he  seeks." 

"In  what  does  he  mistake?" 

"  In  supposing  that  he  will  encounter  an  ordinary  free- 
booter— one  coarse,  rapacious,  ignorant,  and  inexorable, 
like  others  of " 

"Of  what,  sir?' 

"  I  would  have  said,  of  his  class;  but  a  mariner  like  him 
we  speak  of  forms  the  head  of  his  own  order." 

"We  will  call  him,  then,  by  his  popular  name,  Mr. 
Wilder — a  rover.  But  is  it  not  remarkable  that  so  experi- 
enced a  seaman  should  come  to  this  little  frequented  sea  in 
quest  of  a  ship  whose  pursuits  ought  to  call  her  into  more 
bustling  scenes?" 


THE   REt)    ROVER. 

"  He  may  have  traced  her  through  the  narrow  passages  of 
the  islands,  and  followed  on  the  course  she  has  last  been 
seen  steering."* 

"  He  may  indeed,"  returned  the  Rover,  musing.  "  Your 
thorough  mariner  knows  how  to  calculate  the  chances  of 
winds  and  currents,  as  the  bird  finds  its  way  in  air.  Still 
a  description  of  the  ship  would  at  least  be  needed,  as  a 
clew." 

Wilder,  notwithstanding  an  effort  to  the  contrary,  suffered 
his  eyes  to  sink  before  the  piercing  gaze  they  encountered. 

"  Perhaps  he  is  not  without  that  knowledge,  too,"  he  an- 
swered. 

"  Perhaps  not.  Indeed,  he  gave  me  reason  to  believe  he 
has  an  agent  in  the  secrets  of  his  enemy.  Nay,  he  express- 
ly avowed  the  same,  and  acknowledged  that  his  prospects  of 
success  depended  on  the  skill  and  information  of  that  indi- 
vidual, who  no  doubt  has  his  private  means  of  communicat- 
ing what  he  learns  of  the  movements  of  those  with  whom 
he  serves." 

"Did  he  name  him?" 

"  He  did." 

"  It  was ' 

"  Henry— Ark,  alias  Wilder." 

"  It  is  vain  to  attempt  denial,"  said  our  adventurer,  ris- 
ing with  an  air  of  pride  that  he  intended  should  conceal  the 
uneasy  sensation  that  in  truth  beset  him ;  "  I  find  you  know 
me." 

"  For  a  false  traitor,  sir !" 

"  Captain  Heidegger,  you  are  safe,  here,  in  using  these 
reproachful  terms." 

The  Rover  struggled,  and  struggled  successfully,  to  keep 
down  the  risings  of  his  temper;  but  the  effort  lent  to  his 
countenance  gleamings  of  fierce  scorn. 

"You  will  communicate  that  fact  also  to  your  superiors," 
he  said,  with  taunting  irony.  "The  monster  of  the  seas,  he 
who  plunders  defenceless  fishermen,  ravages  unprotected 


426  THE    RED    ROVER. 

coasts,  and  eludes  the  flag  of  King  George,  as  other  ser- 
pents steal  into  their  caves  at  the  footstep  of  man,  is  safe  in 
speaking  his  mind,  backed  by  a  hundred  and  fifty  free- 
booters, and  in  the  security  of  his  own  cabin.  Perhaps  he 
knows,  too,  that  he  is  breathing  in  the  atmosphere  of  peace- 
ful and  peace-loving  woman." 

But  the  first  surprise  of  the  subject  of  his  scorn  had 
passed,  and  he  was  neither  to  be  goaded  into  retort  nor  ter- 
rified into  entreaties.  Folding  his  arms  with  calmness, 
Wilder  simply  replied: 

"  I  have  incurred  this  risk,  in  order  to  drive  a  scourge 
from  the  ocean,  which  had  baffled  all  other  attempts  at  its 
extermination.  I  knew  the  hazard,  and  shall  not  shrink  from 
its  penalty." 

"You  shall  not,  sir!"  returned  the  Rover,  striking  the 
gong  again  with  a  finger  that  appeared  to  carry  in  its  touch 
the  weight  of  a  giant.  "  Let  the  negro  and  the  topman  his 
companion,  be  secured  in  irons;  on  no  account  permit  them 
to  communicate,  by  word  or  signal,  with  the  other  ship." 
When  the  agent  of  his  punishments,  who  entered  at  the 
well-known  summons,  had  retired,  he  again  turned  to  the 
firm  and  motionless  form  that  stood  before  him.  "  Mr. 
Wilder,"  he  continued,  "  there  is  a  law  which  binds  together 
this  community,  into  which  you  have  so  treacherously 
stolen,  that  would  consign  you  and  your  miserable  confed- 
erates to  the  yard-arm  the  instant  your  true  character 
should  be  known  to  my  people.  I  have  but  to  open  that 
door,  and  to  pronounce  the  nature  of  your  treason,  and  to 
yield  you  to  the  tender  mercies  of  the  crew." 

"You  will  not!  no,  you  will  not!"  cried  a  voice  at  his 
elbow,  which  thrilled  on  ever  his  iron  nerves.  "You  have 
forgotten  the  ties  which  bind  man  to  his  fellows,  but  cruelty 
is  not  natural  to  your  heart.  By  all  the  recollections  of 
your  earliest  and  happiest  days;  by  the  tenderness  and  pity 
which  watched  your  childhood ;  by  that  holy  and  omniscient 
Being  who  suffers  not  a  hair  of  the  innocent  to  go  unre- 


THE    RED    ROVER.  427 

venged,  I  conjure  you  to  pause,  before  you  forget  your  own 
awful  responsibility.  No!  you  will  not — cannot — dare  not 
be  so  merciless!" 

"  What  fate  did  he  contemplate  for  me  and  my  followers, 
when  he  entered  on  this  insidious  design?"  hoarsely  de- 
manded the  Rover. 

"  The  laws  of  God  and  man  are  with  him,"  continued 
Mrs.  Wyllys,  for  it  was  she;  "  'tis  reason  that  speaks  in  my 
voice ;  'tis  mercy,  which  I  know  is  pleading  at  your  heart. 
The  cause,  the  motive,  sanctify  his  acts;  while  your  career 
can  .find  justification  in  the  laws  of  neither  heaven  nor 
earth." 

"  This  is  bold  language  to  sound  in  the  ears  of  a  blood- 
seeking,  remorseless  pirate!"  said  the  other,  looking  around 
with  a  smile  so  proud  that  it  seemed  to  proclaim  how 
plainly  he  saw  that  the  speaker  relied  on  the  very  reverse 
of  the  qualities  he  named. 

"It  is  the  language  of  truth;  and  ears  like  yours  cannot 
be  deaf  to  the  sounds.  If " 

"  Lady,  cease,"  interrupted  the  Rover,  stretching  his  arm 
towards  her  with  calmness.  "  My  resolution  was  formed  on 
the  instant;  and  no  remonstrance,  nor  apprehension  of  the 
consequence,  can  change  it.  Mr.  Wilder,  you  are  free.  If 
you  have  not  served  me  as  faithfully  as  I  once  expected, 
you  have  taught  me  a  lesson  in  the  art  of  physiognomy 
which  shall  leave  me  a  wiser  man  for  the  rest  of  my  days." 

The  conscious  Wilder  stood  self-condemned  and  hum- 
bled. The  strugglings  which  stirred  his  inmost  soul  were  to 
be  read  in  the  workings  of  a  countenance  that  was  no  longer 
masked  in  artifice,  but  which  expressed  both  shame  and 
sorrow.  The  conflict  lasted  but  a  moment. 

"  Perhaps  you  know  not  the  extent  of  my  object,  Captain 
Heidegger,"  he  said:  "it  embraced  the  forfeit  of  your  life, 
and  the  destruction  or  dispersion  of  your  crew." 

"According  to  the  established  usages  of  that  portion  of 
the  world  which,  having  the  power,  oppresses  the  remainder, 


428  THE    RED    ROVER. 

it  did.  Go,  sir;  rejoin  your  proper  ship;  I  repeat,  you  are 
free." 

"  I  cannot  leave  you,  Captain  Heidegger,  without  one 
word  of  justification." 

"  What !  can  the  hunted,  denounced,  and  condemned  free- 
booter command  an  explanation?  Is  even  his  good  opinion 
necessary  to  a  virtuous  servant  of  the  crown?" 

"  Use  such  terms  of  triumph  and  reproach  as  suit  your 
pleasure,  sir;  to  me  your  language  can  convey  no  offence; 
still  I  would  not  leave  you  without  removing  part  of  the 
odium  which  you  think  I  merit." 

"  Speak  freely.     Sir,  you  are  my  guest." 

The  most  cutting  revilings  could  not  have  wounded  the 
repentant  Wilder  so  deeply  as  this  generous  conduct,  but  he 
subdued  his  feelings,  and  continued: 

"  You  are  not  now  to  learn,"  he  said,  "  that  vulgar  rumor 
has  given  a  color  to  your  conduct  and  character  which  is 
not  of  a  quality  to  command  esteem." 

"  You  may  find  leisure  to  deepen  the  tints,"  hastily  in- 
terrupted his  listener,  though  the  tremor  in  his  voice  de- 
noted how  deeply  he  felt  the  wound  given  by  a  world  that 
he  affected  to  despise. 

"  If  called  upon  to  speak  at  all,  my  words  shall  be  those 
of  truth,  Captain  Heidegger.  Is  it  surprising  that,  filled 
with  the  ardor  of  a  service  you  once  thought  honorable 
yourself,  I  should  be  found  willing  to  risk  life,  and  if  you 
will,  even  to  play  the  hypocrite,  in  order  to  achieve  an  ob- 
ject that  would  not  only  have  been  rewarded,  but  approved, 
had  it  been  successful  ?  With  such  sentiments  I  embarked 
on  the  enterprise;  but,  as  Heaven  is  my  judge,  your  manly 
confidence  had  half  disarmed  me,  when  my  foot  had  hardly 
crossed  the  threshold  of  my  enterprise." 

"You  turned  not  back?" 

"There  might  have  been  irresistible  reasons  to  the  con- 
trary," resumed  the  defendant,  glancing  his  eyes  at  the 
females.  "  I  kept  my  faith  at  Newport;  and,  had  my  two 


THE    RED    ROVER.  42Q 

followers  then  been  released  from  your  ship,  my  foot  should 
never  have  entered  her  again." 

"Young  man,  I  am  willing  to  believe  you.  I  think  I 
penetrate  your  motives.  You  have  played  a  delicate  game; 
instead  of  repining,  you  will  one  day  rejoice  that  it  has 
been  fruitless.  Go,  sir — a  boat  shall  attend  you  to  the 
Dart." 

"  Deceive  not  yourself,  Captain  Heidegger,  in  believing 
that  any  generosity  of  yours  can  shut  my  eyes  to  my  proper 
duty.  The  instant  I  am  seen  by  the  commander  of  the  ship 
you  name,  your  character  will  be  betrayed." 

"  I  expect  it." 

"  Nor  will  my  hand  be  idle  in  the  struggle  that  must  fol- 
low. I  may  die,  here,  a  victim  to  my  mistake,  if  you  please; 
but,  the  moment  I  am  released,  I  unavoidably  become  your 
enemy." 

"Wilder!"  exclaimed  the  Rover,  grasping  his  hand  with 
a  smile  that  partook  of  the  wild  energy  of  his  manner,  "we 
should  have  been  acquainted  earlier!  But  regret  is  idle. 
Go;  should  my  people  learn  the  truth,  any  remonstrances  of 
mine  would  be  like  whispers  in  a  whirlwind." 

"  When  I  joined  the  Dolphin  last,  I  did  not  come  alone." 

"  Is  it  not  enough,"  rejoined  the  Rover,  recoiling  a  step, 
"that  I  offer  you  liberty  and  life?" 

"  Of  what  service  can  a  being,  fair,  helpless,  and  unfor- 
tunate as  this,  be  in  a  ship  devoted  to  pursuits  like  those  of 
the  Dolphin?" 

"Am  I  to  be  cut  off  forever  from  communion  with  the 
best  of  my  kind?  Go,  sir;'  leave  me  the  image  of  virtue,  at 
least,  though  I  may  be  wanting  in  its  substance." 

"  Captain  Heidegger,  once,  in  the  warmth  of  your  better 
feelings,  you  pronounced  a  pledge  in  favor  of  these  females, 
which  I  hope  came  from  the  heart." 

"  I  understand  you,  sir.  What  I  then  said  is  not,  nor 
shall  it  be,  forgotten.  But  whither  would  you  lead  your 
companions?  Is  not  one  vessel  on  the  high  seas  as  safe  as 


43°  THE    RED    ROVER. 

another?  Am  I  to  be  deprived  of  every  means  of  making 
friends  unto  myself?  Leave  me,  sir — go — you  may  linger 
until  my  permission  to  depart  cannot  avail  you." 

"I  shall  never  desert  my  charge,"  said  Wilder  firmly. 

"Mr.  Wilder, — or  I  should  rather  call  you  Lieutenant 
Ark,  I  believe," — returned  the  Rover, — "you  may  trifle  with 
my  good  nature  till  the  moment  of  your  own  security  shall 
be  past." 

"  Act  your  will  on  me :  I  die  at  my  post,  or  go  accom- 
panied by  those  with  whom  I  came." 

"  Sir,  the  acquaintance  of  which  you  boast  is  not  older 
than  my  own.  How  know  you  that  they  prefer  you  for  their 
protector?  I  have  deceived  myself,  and  done  poor  justice 
to  my  own  intentions,  if  they  found  cause  for  complaints, 
since  their  happiness  or  comfort  has  been  in  my  keeping. 
Speak,  fair  one;  which  of  us  do  you  chose  for  a  protector?" 

"Leave  me,  leave  me!"  exclaimed  Gertrude,  veiling  her 
eyes,  from  the  insidious  smile  with  which  he  approached  her, 
as  she  would  have  avoided  the  glance  of  a  basilisk.  "Oh! 
if  you  have  pity  in  your  heart,  let  us  quit  your  ship!" 

Notwithstanding  the  vast  self-command  which  the  being 
she  so  ungovernably  and  spontaneously  repelled  had  in 
common  over  his  feelings,  no  effort  could  repress  the  look 
of  deep  and  humiliating  mortification  with  which  he  heard 
her.  A  cold  and  haggard  smile  gleamed  over  his  features, 
as  he  murmured,  in  a  voice  which  he  in  vain  endeavored 
to  smother : 

"I  have  purchased  this  disgust  from  all  of  my  species, 
and  dearly  must  the  penalty  be  paid ! — Lady,  you  and  your 
lovely  ward  are  mistresses  of  your  own  acts.  This  ship,  and 
this  cabin  are  at  your  command;  or,  if  you  elect  to  quit 
both,  others  will  receive  you." 

"  Safety  for  our  sex  is  only  to  be  found  beneath  the  fos- 
tering protection  of  the  laws,"  said  Mrs.  Wyllys.  "  Would 
to  God " 

"  Enough !"  he   interrupted,  "  you  shall  accompany  your 


THE    RED    ROVER.  431 

friend.     The  ship  will  not  be  emptier  than  my  heart,  when 
all  have  left  me." 

"Did  you  call?"  asked  a  low  voice  at  his  elbow,  in 
tones  so  plaintive  and  mild  that  they  could  not  fail  to  catch 
his  ear. 

"Roderick,"  he  hurriedly  replied,  "you  will  find  occupa- 
tion below.  Leave  us,  good  Roderick.  For  a  while, 
leave  me." 

Then,  as  if  anxious  to  close  the  scene  as  speedily  as  pos- 
sible, he  gave  another  of  his  signals  on  the  gong.  An  order 
was  given  to  convey  Fid  and  the  black  into  a  boat,  whither 
he  also  sent  the  scanty  baggage  of  his  female  guests.  So 
soon  as  these  brief  arrangements  were  completed,  he 
handed  the  governess  with  studied  courtesy,  through  his 
wondering  people,  to  the  side,  and  saw  her  safely  seated, 
with  her  ward  and  Wilder,  in  the  pinnace.  The  oars  were 
manned  by  the  two  seamen,  and  a  silent  adieu  was  given 
by  a  wave  of  his  hand;  after  which  he  disappeared  from 
those  to  whom  their  present  release  seemed  as  imaginary 
and  unreal  as  most  of  the  other  events  of  the  few  preceding 
weeks. 

The  threat  of  the  interference  of  the  crew  of  the  Dolphin 
was,  however,  still  ringing  in  the  ears  of  Wilder.  He  made 
an  impatient  gesture  to  his  attendants  to  ply  their  oars, 
cautiously  steering  the  boat  on  such  a  course  as  would 
soonest  lead  her  from  beneath  the  guns  of  the  freebooters. 
While  passing  under  the  stern  of  the  Dolphin,  a  hoarse  hail 
was  sent  across  the  waters,  and  the  voice  of  the  Rover  was 
heard  speaking  to  the  commander  of  the  Dart. 

"I  send  you  a  party  of  your  guests,"  he  said;  "and, 
among  them,  all  the  divinity  of  my  ship." 

The  passage  was  short;  nor  was  time  given  for  the 
liberated  to  arrange  their  thoughts,  before  it  became  neces- 
sary to  ascend  the  side  of  the  cruiser  of  the  crown. 

"Heaven  help  us!"  exclaimed  Bignall,  catching  a 
•glimpse  of  the  sex  of  his  visitors  through  a  port;  "Heaven 


432  THE    RED    ROVER. 

help  us  both,  parson!  That  young  hare-brained  fellow  has 
sent  us  a  brace  of  petticoats  aboard;  and  these  the  profane 
reprobate  calls  his  divinities!  One  may  easily  guess  where 
he  picked  up  such  quality, — but,  cheer  up,  doctor;  we  may 
honestly  forget  the  cloth  in  five  fathom  water,  you  know." 

The  facetious  laugh  of  the  old  commander  of  the  Dart 
betrayed  that  he  was  more  than  half  disposed  to  overlook 
the  fancied  presumption  of  his  audacious  inferior;  furnish- 
ing a  sort  of  pledge  that  no  undue  scruples  should  defeat 
the  hilarity  of  the  moment.  But  when  Gertrude,  flushed 
with  the  excitement  of  the  scene  through  which  she  had 
just  passed,  and  beaming  with  a  loveliness  that  derived  so 
much  of  its  character  from  its  innocence,  appeared  on  his 
deck,  the  veteran  rubbed  his  eyes  in  an  amazement  which 
could  not  have  been  greatly  surpassed,  had  one  of  (hat 
species  of  beings  the  Rover  had  named  actually  fallen  at 
his  feet  from  the  skies. 

"  The  heartless  scoundrel !"  cried  the  worthy  tar,  "  to  lead 
astray  one  so  young  and  so  lovely!  Ha!  as  I  live,  my  own 
lieutenant!  How's  this,  Mr.  Ark?  have  we  fallen  on  the 
days  of  miracles?" 

An  exclamation,  which  came  from  the  heart  of  the  gov- 
erness, and  a  low  and  mournful  echo  from  the  lips  of  the 
divine,  interrupted  further  expression  of  his  indignation 
and  his  wonder. 

"  Captain  Bignall,"  observed  the  former,  pointing  to  the 
tottering  form  which  was  leaning  on  Wilder  for  support, 
"  on  my  life,  you  are  mistaken  in  the  character  of  this  lady. 
It  is  more  than  twenty  years  since  we  last  met,  but  I  pledge 
my  own  character  for  the  purity  and  truth  of  hers." 

"Lead  me  to  the  cabin,"  murmured  Mrs.  Wyllys.  "Ger- 
trude, my  love,  where  are  we?  Lead  me  to  some  secret 
place." 

Her  request  was  complied  with;  the  whole  party  retiring 
in  a  body  from  the  sight  of  the  spectators  who  thronged 
the  deck.  Here  the  agitated  governess  regained  a  portion. 


THE    RED    ROVER.  433 

of  her  self-  command,  and  then  her  wandering  gaze  sought 
the  meek  countenance  of  the  chaplain. 

"This  is  a  tardy  and  heartrending  meeting,"  she  said, 
pressing  the  hand  he  gave  her  to  her  lips.  "  Gertrude,  in 
this  gentleman  you  see  the  divine  that  united  me  to  the 
man  who  once  formed  the  pride  and  happiness  of  my  exist- 
ence." 

"  Mourn  not  his  loss,"  whispered  the  reverend  priest, 
bending  over  her  chair  with  the  interest  of  a  parent.  "  He 
was  taken  from  you  at  an  early  hour;  but  he  died  as  all 
who  loved  him  might  have  wished." 

"  And  none  was  left  to  bear,  in  remembrance  of  his 
qualities,  his  name  to  posterity!  Tell  me,  good  Merton,  is 
not  the  hand  of  Providence  visible  in  this  dispensation? 
Ought  I  not  to  humble  myself  before  it,  as  a  just  punish- 
ment of  my  disobedience  to  an  affectionate,  though  too  ob- 
durate, parent?" 

"None  may  presume  to  pry  into  the  mysteries  of  the 
righteous  government  that  orders  all  things.  Enough  for 
us,  that  we  learn  to  submit  to  the  will  of  Him  who  rules, 
without  questioning  His  justice." 

"  But,"  continued  the  governess,  in  tones  so  husky  as  to 
betray  how  powerfully  she  felt  the  temptation  to  forget  his 
admonition,  "would  not  one  life  have  sufficed?  was  I  to  be 
deprived  of  all?" 

"  Madam,  reflect!  What  has  been  done  was  done  in  wis- 
dom, as  I  trust  it  was  in  mercy." 

"  You  say  truly.  I  will  forget  all  of  the  sad  events,  but 
their  application  to  myself.  And  you,  worthy  and  benevo- 
lent Merton,  where  and  how  have  been  passed  your  days 
since  the  time  of  which  we  speak?" 

"  I  am  but  a  low  and  humble  shepherd  of  a  truant  flock," 
returned  the  meek  chaplain,  with  a  sigh.  "  Many  distant 
seas  have  I  visited,  and  many  strange  faces,  and  stranger 
natures,  has  it  been  my  lot  to  encounter  in  my  pilgrimage. 
I  am  but  lately  Returned  from  the  East,  into  the  hemisphere 
28 


434  THE  RED  ROVER. 

where  I  first  drew  breath;  and,  by  permission  of  our 
superiors,  I  came  to  pass  a  month  in  the  vessel  of  a  com- 
panion whose  friendship  bears  even  an  older  date  than 
yours." 

"Ay,  ay,  madam,"  returned  the  worthy  Bignall,  whose 
feelings  had  been  a  little  disturbed  by  the  previous  scene; 
"  it  is  near  half  a  century  since  the  parson  and  I  were  boys 
together,  and  we  have  been  rubbing  up  old  recollections  on 
the  cruise.  Happy  am  I  that  a  lady  of  so  commendable 
qualities  has  come  to  make  one  of  our  party." 

"  In  this  lady  you  see  the  daughter  of  the  late  Captain 

,  and  the  relict  of  the  son  of  our  ancient  commander, 

Rear  Admiral  de  Lacey,"  hastily  resumed  the  divine,  as  if 
he  knew  the  well-meaning  honesty  of  his  friend  was  more 
to  be  trusted  than  his  discretion. 

"  I  knew  them  both ;  brave  men  and  thorough  seamen 
were  the  pair!  The  lady  was  welcome  as  your  friend,  Mer- 
ton ;  but  she  is  doubly  so  as  the  widow  and  child  of  the 
gentlemen  you  name." 

"  De  Lacey !"  murmured  a  voice  in  the  ear  of  the  gover- 
ness. 

"  The  law  gives  me  a  title  to  bear  that  name,"  returned 
she,  whom  we  shall  still  continue  to  call  by  her  assumed 
appellation,  folding  her  weeping  pupil  long  and  affection- 
ately to  her  bosom.  "  The  veil  is  unexpectedly  withdrawn, 
my  love  and  concealment  would  now  be  worse  than  use- 
less. My  father  was  the  captain  of  the  flagship.  Necessity 
compelled  him  to  leave  me  more  in  the  society  of  your 
young  relative  than  he  would  have  done,  could  he  have 
foreseen  the  consequences.  But  I  knew  both  his  pride  and 
his  poverty  too  well  to  dare  to  make  him  arbiter  of  my  fate, 
after  the  alternative  became,  to  my  inexperience  imagina- 
tion, worse  even  than  his  anger.  We  were  privately  united 
by  this  gentleman,  and  neither  of  our  parents  knew  of  the 
connection.  Death " 

The  voice  of  the  widow  became  choked,  arid  she  made  a 


THE   RED    ROVER.  435 

sign  to  the  chaplain,  as  if  she  would  have  him  continue  the 
tale. 

"  Mr.  de  Lacey  and  his  father-in-law  fell  in  the  same 
battle,  within  a  short  month  of  the  ceremony,"  added  the 
subdued  voice  of  Merton.  "  Even  you,  dearest  madam, 
never  knew  the  melancholy  particulars  of  their  end.  I  was 
a  solitary  witness  of  their  deaths;  for  to  me  were  they  both 
consigned,  amid  the  confusion  of  the-  battle.  Their  blood 
was  mingled;  and  your  parent,  in  blessing  the  young  hero, 
unconsciously  blessed  his  son." 

"Oh!  I  deceived  his  noble  nature,  and  dearly  have  I 
paid  the  penalty!"  exclaimed  the  self-abased  widow. 
"Tell  me,  Merton,  did  he  ever  know  of  my  marriage?" 

"  He  did  not.  Mr.  de  Lacey  died  first,  and  upon  his 
bosom,  for  he  loved  him  ever  as  a  child;  but  other 
thoughts  than  useless  explanations  were  uppermost  in 
their  minds." 

"Gertrude,"  said  the  governess,  in  hollow,  repentant 
tones,  "there  is  no  peace  for  our  feeble  sex  but  in  submis- 
sion ;  no  happiness  but  in  obedience." 

"  It  is  over  now,"  whispered  the  weeping  girl ;  "  all  over 
and  forgotten.  I  am  your  child — your  own  Gertrude,  the 
creature  of  your  formation." 

"Harry  Ark!"  exclaimed  Bignall,  clearing  his  throat 
with  a  hem  so  vigorous  as  to  carry  the  sound  to  the  outer 
deck,  seizing  the  arm  of  this  entranced  lieutenant,  and 
dragging  him  from  the  scene  while  he  spoke.  "  What  the 
devil  besets  the  boy !  You  forget  that,  all  this  time,  I  am 
as  ignorant  of  your  own  adventures  as  his  majesty's  prime 
minister  is  of  navigation.  Why  do  I  see  you  here,  a  visitor 
from  a  royal  cruiser,  when  I  thought  you  were  playing  the 
mock  pirate?  and  how  came  that  harum-scarum  twig  of  no- 
bility in  possession  of  so  goodly  a  company,  as  well  as  of  so 
brave  a  ship?" 

Wilder  drew  a  long  breath,  like  one  that  awakes  from  a 
pleasing  dream,  reluctantly  suffering  himself  to  be  forced 


436  THE    RED    ROVER. 

from   a  spot  where  he  fondly  felt  that  he  could  have  con- 
tinued, without  weariness,  forever. 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

Let  them  achieve  me,  and  then  sell  my  bones. 


Henry  V. 


THE  commander  of  the  Dart  and  his  bewildered  lieutenant 
had  gained  the  quarter-deck  before  either  spoke  again.  The 
direction  first  taken  by  the  eyes  of  the  latter  was  in  quest  of 
the  neighboring  ship;  nor  was  the  look  entirely  without 
that  unsettled  and  vague  expression  which  seems  to  an- 
nounce a  momentary  aberration  of  the  faculties.  But  the 
vessel  of  the  Rover  was  in  view,  in  all  the  palpable  and 
beautiful  proportions  of  her  admirable  construction.  In- 
stead of  lying  in  a  state  of  rest,  as  when  he  left  her,  her 
head-yards  had  been  swung,  and  as  the  sails  filled  with  the 
breeze,  the  stately  fabric  had  begun  to  move  gracefully, 
though  with  no  great  velocity,  along  the  water.  There  was 
not  the  slightest  appearance  in  the  evolution,  however,  of 
any  attempt  at  escape.  On  the  contrary,  the  loftier  and 
lighter  sails  were  all  furled,  and  men  were  at  the  moment 
actively  employed  in'  sending  to  the  deck  those  smaller 
spars  which  were  absolutely  requisite  in  spreading  the  can- 
vas that  would  be  needed  in  facilitating  her  flight.  Wilder 
turned  from  the  sight  with  a  sickening  apprehension ;  for 
he  well  knew  that  these  were  the  preparations  that  skilful 
mariners  are  wont  to  make  when  bent  on  desperate  combat. 
"Ay,  yonder  goes  your  St.  James's  seaman,  with  his  three 
topsails  full,  and  his  mizzen  out,  as  if  he  had  already  for- 
gotten he  is  to  dine  with  me,  and  that  his  name  is  to  be 
found  at  one  end  of  the  list  of  commanders,  and  mine  at 
the  other,"  grumbled  the  displeased  Bignall.  "  But  we  shall 
have  him  coming  round,  I  suppose,  when  his  appetite  tells 


THE   RED   ROVER.  437 

him  the  dinner  hour.  He  might  wear  his  colors  in  presence 
of  a  senior,  too,  and  no  disgrace  to  his  nobility.  By  the 
Lord,  Harry  Ark,  he  handles  his  yards  beautifully.  I 
warrant  you,  now,  some  honest  man's  son  is  sent  aboard 
his  ship  for  a  dry  nurse,  in  the  shape  of  a  first  lieutenant, 
and  we  shall  have  him  vaporing,  all  dinner  time,  about 'how 
my  ship  does  this,'  and  'I  never  suffer  that/  Ha!  is  it  not 
so,  sir?  He  has  a  thorough  seaman  for  his  first?" 

"  Few  men  understand  the  profession  better  than  the  cap- 
tain of  yonder  vessel  himself,"  returned  Wilder. 

"The  devil  he  does!  You  have  been  talking  with  him, 
Mr.  Ark,  about  these  matters,  and  he  has  got  some  of  the 
fashions  of  the  Dart.  I  can  see  into  a  mystery  as  quick  as 
another!" 

"  I  do  assure  you,  Captain  Bignall,  there  is  no  safety  in 
confiding  in  the  ignorance  of  yonder  extraordinary  man." 

"  Ay,  ay,  I  begin  to  overhaul  his  character.  The  young 
dog  is  a  quiz,  and  has  been  amusing  himself  with  a  sailor 
of  what  he  calls  the  old  school.  Am  I  right,  sir?  He  has 
seen  salt  water  before  this  cruise?" 

"  He  is  almost  a  native  of  the  seas;  for  more  than  thirty 
years  he  has  passed  his  time  on  them." 

"There,  Harry  Ark,  he  has  done  you  handsomely.  Now, 
I  have  his  own  assertion  for  it  that  he  will  not  be  three- 
and-twenty  until  to-morrow." 

"On  my  word,  he  has  deceived  you,  sir." 

"I  don't  know,  Mr.  Ark;  that  is  a  task  much  easier 
attempted  than  performed.  Three-score  and  four  years  add 
as  much  weight  to  a  man's  head  as  to  his  heels!  I  may 
have  undervalued  the  skill  of  the  yonker,  but,  as  to  his 
years,  there  can  be  no  great  mistake.  But  where  the  devil 
is  the  fellow  steering  to?  Has  he  need  of  a  pinafore  from 
his  lady-mother  to  come  on  board  of  a  man-of-war  to  dine?" 

"  See !  he  is  indeed  standing  from  us !"  exclaimed  Wilder, 
with  a  rapidity  and  delight  that  would  have  excited  the  sus- 
picions of  one  more  observant  than  his  commander. 


438  THE   RED    ROVER. 

"  If  I  know  the  stern  from  the  bows  of  a  ship,  what  you 
say  is  truth,"  returned  the  other  with  some  austerity.  "  Hark 
ye,  Mr.  Ark,  I've  a  mind  to  furnish  the  coxcomb  a  lesson 
in  respect  for  his  superiors,  and  give  him  a  row  to  whet  his 
appetite.  By  the  Lord,  I  will ;  and  he  may  write  home  an 
account  of  this  manoeuvre,  too,  in  his  next  despatches.  Fill 
away  the  after-yards,  sir!  fill  away.  Since  this  honorable 
youth  is  disposed  to  amuse  himself  with  a  sailing  match,  he 
can  take  no  offence  that  others  are  in  the  same  humor." 

The  lieutenant  of  the  watch,  to  whom  the  order  was  ad- 
dressed, complied;  and,  in  another  minute,  the  Dart  was 
also  beginning  to  move  ahead;  though  in  a  direction 
directly  opposite  to  that  taken  by  the  Dolphin.  The  old 
man  highly  enjoyed  his  own  decision,  manifesting  his  satis- 
faction by  the  infinite  glee  and  deep  chuckling  of  his  man- 
ner. He  was  too  much  occupied  with  the  step  he  had  just 
taken  to  revert  immediately  to  the  subject  that  had  so 
recently  been  uppermost  in  his  mind ;  nor  did  the  thought 
of  pursuing  the  discourse  occur  to  him  until  the  two  ships 
had  left  a  broad  field  of  water  between  them,  as  each 
moved,  with  ease  and  steadiness,  on  its  proper  course. 

"  Let  him  note  that  in  his  logbook,  Mr.  Ark,"  the  irrita- 
ble old  seaman  then  resumed,  returning  to  the  spot  which 
Wilder  had  not  left  during  the  intervening  time.  "  Though 
my  cook  has  no  great  relish  for  a  frog,  they  who  would  taste 
of  his  skill  must  seek  him.  By  the  Lord,  boy,  he  will  have 
a  pull  of  it,  if  he  undertake  to  come-to  on  that  tack.  But 
how  happens  it  that  you  got  into  his  ship?  All  that  part 
of  the  cruise  remains  untold." 

"  I  have  been  wrecked,  sir,  since  you  received  my  last 
letter." 

"What!  has  Davy  Jones  got  possession  of  the  red  gentle- 
man at  last?" 

"The  misfortune  occurred  in  a  ship  from  Bristol,  aboard 
which  I  was  placed  as  a  sort  of  prize-master. — He  cer- 
tainly continues  to  stand  slowly  to  the  northward!" 


THE  REID  ROVER.  439 

"Let  the  young  coxcomb  go!  he  will  have  all  the  better 
appetite  for  his  supper.  And  so  you  were  picked  up  by  his 
majesty's  ship  the  Antelope.  Ay,  I  see  into  the  whole 
affair.  Give  an  old  sea-dog  his  course  and  compass,  and 
he  will  find  his  way  to  port  in  the  darkest  night.  But  how 
happened  it  that  this  Mr.  Howard  affected  to  be  ignorant  of 
your  name,  sir,  when  he  saw  it  on  the  list  of  my  officers." 

"Ignorant!  Did  he  seem  ignorant?  perhaps " 

"  Say  no  more,  my  brave  fellow,  say  no  more,"  inter- 
rupted Wilder's  considerate  but  choleric  commander.  "  I 
have  met  with  such  rebuffs  myself;  but  we  are  above  them, 
sir,  far  above  them  and  their  impertinences  together.  No 
man  need  be  ashamed  of  having  earned  his  commission,  as 
you  and  I  have  done,  in  fair  weather  and  in  foul.  Zounds, 
boy,  I  have  fed  one  of  the  upstarts  for  a  week,  and  then  had 
him  stare  at  a  church  across  the  way,  when  I  have  fallen  in 
with  him  in  the  streets  of  London,  in  a  manner  to  make  a 
simple  man  believe  the  puppy  knew  for  what  it  had  been 
built.  Think  no  more  of  it,  Harry :  worse  things  have  hap- 
pened to  myself,  I  do  assure  you." 

"  I  went  by  an  assumed  name  while  in  his  ship,"  Wilder 
forced  himself  to  add.  "  Even  the  ladies,  who  were  the  com- 
panions of  my  wreck,  knew  me  by  no  other." 

"Ah!  that  was  prudent;  and,  after  all,  the  young  sprig 
was  not  pretending  genteel  ignorance.  How  now,  Master 
Fid!  you  are  welcome  back  to  the  Dart." 

"  I've  taken  the  liberty  to  say  as  much  already  to  myself, 
your  honor,"  resumed  the  topman,  who  was  busying  him- 
self near  his  two  officers,  in  a  manner  that  seemed  to  invite 
their  attention.  "  A  wholesome  craft  is  yonder,  and  boldly 
is  she  commanded,  and  stoutly  is  she  manned;  but,  for  my 
part,  having  a  character  to  lose,  it  is  more  to  my  taste  to 
sail  in  a  ship  that  can  show  hftr  commission  when  properly 
called  on  for  the  same." 

The  color  on  Wilder's  cheeks  went  and  came,  like  the 
flushings  of  the  evening  sky,  and  his  eyes  were  turned  in 


440  THE  RED  ROVER. 

every  direction  but  that  which  would  have  encountered  the 
astonished  gaze  of  his  veteran  friend. 

"  I  am  not  quite  sure  that  I  understand  the  meaning  of 
the  lad,  Mr.  Ark.  Every  officer,  from  the  captain  to  the 
boatswain,  in  the  king's  fleet,  that  is,  every  man  of  common 
discretion,  carries  his  authority  to  act  as  such  with  him  to 
sea,  or  he  might  find  himself  in  a  situation  as  awkward  as 
that  of  a  pirate." 

"That  is  just  what  I  said  sir;  but  schooling  and  long  use 
have  given  your  honor  a  better  outfit  in  words.  Guinea  and 
I  have  often  talked  the  matter  over  together,  and  serious 
thoughts  has  it  given  to  us  both,  more  than  once,  Captain 
Bignall.  'Suppose,'  says  I  to  the  black,  *suppose  one  of 
his  majesty's  boats  should  happen  to  fall  in  with  this  here 
craft,  and  we  should  come  to  loggerheads  and  matches/  says 
I,  'what  would  the  like  of  us  two  do  in  such  a  godsend?'— 
'Why,'  says  the  black,  'we  would  stand  to  our  guns  on  the 
side  of  Master  Harry,'  says  he;  nor  did  I  gainsay  the  same; 
but,  saving  his  presence  and  your  honor's,  I  just  took  the 
liberty  to  add,  that,  in  my  poor  opinion,  it  would  be  much 
more  comfortable  to  be  killed  in  an  honest  ship  than  on 
the  deck  of  a  buccaneer." 

"A  buccaneer!"  exclaimed  his  commander,  with  eyes 
distended,  and  an  open  mouth. 

"Captain  Bignall,"  said  Wilder,  "I  may  have  offended 
past  forgiveness  in  remaining  so  long  silent;  but  when  you 
hear  my  tale,  there  may  be  found  some  passages  that  shall 
plead  my  apology.  The  vessel  in  sight  is  the  ship  of  the 
renowned  Red  Rover — nay,  listen,  I  conjure  you,  by  all 
that  kindness  you  have  so  long  shown  me,  and  then  censure 
as  you  will." 

The  words  of  Wilder,  aided  as  they  were  by  an  earnest 
and  manly  manner,  laid  a  restraint  on  the  mounting  indig- 
nation of  the  choleric  old  seaman.  He  listened  gravely 
and  intently  to  the  rapid  but  clear  tale  which  his  lieutenant 
hastened  to  recount;  and,  ere  the  latter  had  done,  he 


THE   RED    ROVER.  44! 

had  more  than  half  entered  into  those  grateful,  and  cer- 
tainly generous,  feelings  which  had  made  the  youth  so 
reluctant  to  betray  the  obnoxious  character  of  a  man  who 
had  dealt  so  liberally  by  himself.  A  few  strong,  and  what 
might  be  termed  professional,  exclamations  of  surprise  and 
admiration  occasionally  interrupted  the  narrative;  but,  on 
the  whole,  he  curbed  his  impatience  and  his  feelings,  in  a 
manner  that  was  sufficiently  remarkable,  when  the  tempera- 
ment of  the  individual  is  duly  considered. 

"This  is  wonderful  indeed!"  he  exclaimed,  as  the  other 
ended;  "and  a  thousand  pities  it  is  that  so  honest  a  fellow 
should  be  so  arrant  a  knave.  But,  Harry,  we  can  never  let 
him  go  at  large  after  all;  our  loyalty  and  our  religion  for- 
bid it.  We  must  tack  ship,  and  stand  after  him ;  if  fair 
words  won't  bring  him  to  reason,  I  see  no  other  remedy  than 
blows." 

"  I  fear  it  is  no  more  than  our  duty,  sir,"  returned  the 
young  man,  with  a  sigh. 

"  It  is  a  matter  of  morals.  And  then  the  prating  puppy 
that  he  sent  on  board  me  is  no  captain  after  all!  Still  it 
was  impossible  to  deceive  me  as  to  the  air  and  manner  of 
a  gentleman.  I  warrant  me,  some  young  reprobate  of  a 
good  family,  or  he  would  never  have  acted  the  sprig  so  well. 
We  must  try  to  keep  his  name  a  secret,  Mr.  Ark,  in  order 
that  no  discredit  should  fall  upon  his  friends.  Our  aristo- 
cratic columns,  though  they  get  a  little  cracked  and  defaced, 
are,  after  all,  the  pillars  of  the  throne;  and  it  does  not  be- 
come us  to  let  vulgar  eyes  look  too  closely  into  their 
unsoundness." 

"The  individual  who  visited  the  Dart  was  the  Rover 
himself." 

"Ha!  the  Red  Rover  in  my  ship — nay,  in  my  very  pres- 
ence !"  exclaimed  the  old  tar,  in  honest  horror.  "  You  are 
now  pleased,  sir,  to  trifle  with  my  good  nature." 

"  I  should  forget  a  thousand  obligations  ere  I  could  be  so 
bold.  On  my  solemn  asseveration,  sir,  it  was  no  other." 


442  THE   RED   ROVER. 

"This  is  unaccountable! — extraordinary  to  a  miracle! 
His  disguise  was  very  complete,  I  will  confess,  to  deceive 
one  so  well-skilled  in  the  human  countenance.  I  saw 
nothing,  sir,  of  his  shaggy  whiskers,  heard  nothing  of  his 
brutal  voice,  nor  perceived  any  of  those  monstrous  deformi- 
ties which  are  universally  acknowledged  to  distinguish  the 
man." 

"  All  of  which  are  no  more  than  the  embellishments  of 
vulgar  rumor.  I  fear,  sir,  that  the  boldest  and  most  dan- 
gerous of  all  our  vices  are  often  found  under  the  most  pleas- 
ing exteriors." 

"  But  this  is  not  even  a  man  of  inches,  sir." 

"  His  body  is  not  large,  but  it  contains  the  spirit  of  a 
giant." 

"And  do  you  believe  yonder  ship,  Mr.  Ark, to  be  the  ves- 
sel that  fought  us  in  the  equinox  of  March?" 

"I  know  it  to  be  no  other." 

"  Hark  ye,  Harry,  for  your  sake  I  will  deal  generously 
by  the  rogue.  He  once  escaped  me  by  the  loss  of  a  top- 
mast, and  stress  of  weather;  but  we  have  here  a  good  work- 
ing breeze  that  a  man  may  safely  count  on,  and  a  fine  regu- 
lar sea.  He  is  therefore  mine,  so  soon  as  I  choose  to  make 
him  so; — for,  after  all,  I  do  not  think  he  has  any  serious 
intention  to  run." 

"  I  fear  not,"  returned  Wilder,  unconsciously  betraying 
his  wishes  in  words. 

"  Fight  he  cannot,  with  any  hopes  of  success ;  and,  as  he 
seems  to  be  altogether  a  different  sort  of  personage  from 
what  I  had  supposed,  we  will  try  the  merits  of  negotiation. 
Will  you  undertake  to  be  the  bearer  of  my  propositions?  or, 
perhaps,  he  might  repent  of  his  moderation." 

"I  pledge  myself  for  his  faith,"  eagerly  exclaimed  Wil- 
der. "  Let  a  gun  be  fired  to  leeward.  Mind,  sir,  all  the 
tokens  must  be  amicable — a  flag  of  truce  set  at  our  main, 
and  I  will  risk  every  hazard  to  lead  him  back  into  the 
bosom  of  society." 


THE   RED    ROVER.  443 

"  By  George,  it  would  at  least  be  acting  a  Christian 
part,"  returned  the  commander,  after  a  moment's  thought; 
"  and  though  we  miss  knighthood  below,  lad,  for  our  suc- 
cess, there  will  be  better  berths  cleared  for  us  aloft." 

No  sooner  had  the  warm-hearted,  and  perhaps  a  little 
visionary,  captain  of  the  Dart,  and  his  lieutenant,  deter- 
mined on  this  measure  than  they  both  eagerly  set  about  the 
means  of  insuring  its  success.  The  helm  of  the  ship  was 
put  a- lee;  and  as  her  head  came  sweeping  up  into  the 
wind,  a  sheet  of  flame  flashed  from  her  leeward  bow-port, 
sending  the  customary  amicable  intimation  across  the 
water  that  those  who  governed  her  movements  would  com- 
municate with  the  possessors  of  the  vessel  in  sight.  At  the 
same  instant  a  small  flag,  with  a  spotless  field,  was  seen 
floating  at  the  topmast  elevation  of  all  her  spars%  whilst  the 
flag  of  England  was  lowered  from  the  gaff.  A  half-minute 
of  deep  inquietude  succeeded  these  signals.  Their  suspense 
was,  however,  speedily  terminated.  A  cloud  of  smoke 
issued  from  the  vessel  of  the  Rover,  and  then  the  smothered 
explosion  of  the  answering  gun  came  dull  upon  their  ears. 
A  flag,  similar  to  their  own,  was  seen  floating  as  it  might  be 
like  a  dove  fanning  its  wings,  far  above  her  tops;  but  no 
emblem  of  any  sort  was  borne  at  the  spar  where  the  colors 
which  distinguish  the  national  character  of  a  cruiser  are 
usually  seen. 

"  The  fellow  has  the  modesty  to  carry  a  naked  gaff  in  our 
presence,"  said  Bignall,  pointing  out  the  circumstance  to 
his  companion,  as  an  augury  favorable  to  their  success. 
"  We  will  stand  for  him  until  within  a  reasonable  distance, 
and  then  you  shall  take  to  the  boat." 

In  conformity  with  this  determination,  the  Dart  was 
brought  on  the  other  tack,  and  several  sails  were  set  to 
quicken  her  speed.  When  at  the  distance  of  half  cannon- 
shot,  Wilder  suggested  to  his  superior  the  propriety  of  ar- 
'  resting  their  further  progress,  in  order  to  avoid  the  appear- 
ance of  hc/stilities.  The  boat  was  immediately  lowered  into 


444  THE  RED  ROVER. 

the  sea,  and  manned ;  a  flag  of  truce  set  in  her  bows ;  and 
the  whole  was  reported  ready  to  receive  the  bearer  of  the 
message. 

"  You  may  hand  him  this  statement  of  our  force,  Mr. 
Ark;  for,  as  he  is  a  reasonable  man,  he  will  see  the  ad- 
vantage it  gives  us,"  said  the  captain,  after  having  ex- 
hausted his  manifold  and  often  repeated  instructions.  "  I 
think  you  may  promise  him  indemnity  for  the  past,  pro- 
vided he  comply  with  all  my  conditions;  at  all  events,  you 
will  say  that  no  influence  shall  be  spared  to  get  a  complete 
whitewashing  for  himself  at  least.  God  bless  you,  boy ! 
Take  care  to  say  nothing  of  the  damages  we  received  in  the 
affair^of  March  last;  for — ay — for  the  equinox  was  blowing 
heavy  at  the  time,  you  know.  Adieu!  and  success  attend 
you!" 

The  boat  shoved  off  from  the  side  of  the  vessel  as  he 
ended,  and  in  a  few  moments  the  listening  Wilder  was 
borne  beyond  the  sound  of  further  counsel. 

Our  adventurer  had  sufficient  time  to  reflect  on  the  ex- 
traordinary situation  in  which  he  now  found  himself  during 
the  row  to  the  still  distant  ship.  Once  or  twice,  slight  and 
uneasy  glimmerings  of  distrust,  concerning  the  prudence  of 
the  step  he  was  taking,  beset  him;  though  a  recollection  of 
the  lofty  feeling  of  the  man  in  whom  he  confided  ever 
presented  itself  in  sufficient  season  to  prevent  the  apprehen- 
sion from  gaining  any  undue  ascendency.  Notwithstand- 
ing the  delicacy  of  his  situation,  that  characteristic  interest 
in  his  profession  which  is  rarely  dormant  in  the  bosom  of 
a  thoroughbred  seaman  was  strongly  stimulated  as  he  ap- 
proached the  vessel  of  the  Rover.  The  perfect  symmetry  of 
her  spars,  the  graceful  heavings  and  settings  of  the  whole 
fabric,  as  it  rode,  like  a  marine  bird,  on  the  long,  regular 
swells  of  the  trades,  and  the  graceful  inclinations  of  the 
tapering  masts,  as  they  waved  across  the  blue  canopy,  which 
was  interlaced  by  all  the  tracery  of  his  complicated  tackle, 
was  not  lost  on  an  eye  that  knew  no  less  how  to  prize  the 


THE    RED    ROVER.  445 

order  of  the  whole  than  to  admire  the  beauty  of  the  object 
itself.  There  is  a  high  and  exquisite  taste,  which  the  sea- 
man attains  in  the  study  of  a  machine  that  all  have  united 
to  commend,  which  may  be  likened  to  the  sensibilities  that 
the  artist  acquires,  by  close  and  long  contemplation  of  the 
noblest  monuments  of  antiquity.  It  teaches  him  to  detect 
those  imperfections  which  would  escape  a  less  instructed 
eye;  and  it  heightens  the  pleasure  with  which  a  ship  at  sea 
is  gazed  at,  by  enabling  the  mind  to  keep  even  pace  with 
the  enjoyment  of  the  senses.  It  is  this  powerful  (and  to  a 
landsman  incomprehensible)  charm  that  forms  the  secret  tie 
which  binds  the  mariner  so  closely  to  his  vessel,  and  which 
often  leads  him  to  prize  her  qualities  as  one  would  esteem 
the  virtues  of  a  friend,  and  almost  to  be  equally  enamored 
of  the  fair  proportions  of  his  ship  and  of  those  of  his  mis- 
tress. Other  men  may  have  their  different  inanimate  sub- 
jects of  admiration;  but  none  of  their  feelings  so  thoroughly 
enter  into  the  composition  of  the  being  as  the  affection  which 
the  mariner  comes,  in  time,  to  feel  for  his  vessel.  It  is  his 
home,  his  theme  of  constant  and  frequently  of  painful  in- 
terest, his  tabernacle,  and  often  his  source  of  pride  and  ex- 
ultation. As  she  gratifies  or  disappoints  his  high-wrought 
expectations,  in  her  speed  or  in  the  fight,  'mid  shoals  and 
hurricanes,  a  character  for  good  or  luckless  qualities  is 
earned,  which  are  as  often  in  reality  due  to  the  skill  or 
ignorance  of  those  who  guide  her  as  to  any  inherent  prop- 
erties of  the  fabric.  Still  does  the  ship  itself,  in  the  eyes 
of  the  seaman,  bear  away  the  laurel  of  success,  or  suffer 
the  ignominy  of  defeat  and  misfortune;  and,  when  the  re- 
verse arrives,  the  result  is  merely  regarded  as  some  extraor- 
dinary departure  from  the  ordinary  character  of  the  vessel, 
as  if  the  construction  possessed  the  powers  of  self-command 
and  volition. 

Though  not  so  deeply  imbued  with  that  superstitious 
credulity  on  this  subject  as  the  inferiors  of  his  profession, 
Wilder  was  keenly  awake  to  most  of  the  sensibilities  of  a 


446  THE   RED   ROVER. 

mariner.  So  strongly,  indeed,  was  he  alive  to  this  feeling 
on  the  present  occasion,  that  for  a  moment  he  forgot  the 
critical  nature  of  his  errand,  as  he  drew  within  plainer  view 
of  a  vessel  that,  with  justice,  might  lay  claim  to  be  a  jewel 
of  the  ocean. 

"Lay  on  your  oars,  lads,"  he  said,  signing  to  his  people 
to  arrest  the  progress  of  the  boat;  "  lay  on  your  oars!  Did 
you  ever  see  masts  more  beautifully  in  line  than  those, 
Master  Fid,  or  sails  that  had  a  fairer  fit?" 

The  topman,  who  rowed  the  stroke-oar  of  the  pinnace, 
cast  a  look  over  his  shoulder,  and,  stowing  into  one  of  his 
cheeks  a  lump  that  resembled  a  wad  laid  by  the  side  of  its 
gun,  Ke  was  not  slow  to  answer. 

"I  care  not  who  knows  it,"  he  said,  "for  clone  by  honest 
men  or  done  by  knaves,  I  told  the  people  on  the  forecastle 
of  the  Dart,  in  the  first  five  minutes  after  I  got  among  them 
again,  that  they  might  be  at  Spithead  a  month,  and  not  see 
hamper  so  light,  and  yet  so  handy,  as  is  seen  aboard  that 
flyer.  Her  lower  rigging  is  harpened  in,  like  the  waist  of 
Nell  Dale,  after  she  had  a  fresh  pull  upon  her  stay-lanyards, 
and  there  isn't  a  block  among  them  all  that  seems  bigger  in 
its  place  than  the  eyes  of  the  girl  in  her  own  good-looking 
countenance.  That  bit  of  a  set  that  you  see  to  her  fore- 
brace-block  was  given  by  the  hand  of  one  Richard  Fid; 
and  the  heart  on  her  mainstay  was  turned  in  by  Guinea, 
here;  and,  considering  he  is  a  nigger,  I  call  it  ship-shape." 

"  She  is  beautiful  in  every  part!"  said  Wilder,  drawing  a 
long  breath.  "  Give  way,  my  men,  give  way !  Do  you  think 
I  have  come  here  to  take  the  soundings  of  the  ocean?" 

The  crew  started  at  the  hurried  tones  of  their  lieutenant, 
and  in  another  minute  the  boat  was  at  the  side  of  the  ves- 
sel. The  stern  and  threatening  glances  that  Wilder  en- 
countered, as  his  foot  touched  the  planks,  caused  him  to 
pause  an  instant,  ere  he  advanced  further  amid  the  crew; 
but  the  presence  of  the  Rover  himself,  who  stood,  with  his 
peculiar  air  of  high  and  imposing  authority,  on  the  quarter- 


THE    RED    ROVER.  447 

deck,  encouraged  him  to  proceed,  after  permitting  a  delay 
that  was  too  slight  to  attract  attention.  His  lips  were  in 
the  act  of  parting,  when  a  sign  from  the  other  induced  him 
to  remain  silent  until  they  were  both  in  the  privacy  of  the 
cabin. 

"Suspicion  is  awake  among  my  people,  Mr.  Ark," 'com- 
menced the  Rover,  when  they  had  retired,  laying  a  marked 
emphasis  on  the  name  he  used.  .  "  Suspicion  is  stirring, 
though,  as  yet,  they  hardly  know  what  to  credit.  The 
manoeuvres  of  the  two  ships  have  not  been  such  as  they  are 
wont  to  see,  and  voices  are  not  wanting  to  whisper  in  their 
ears  matter  that  is  somewhat  injurious  to  your  interests. 
You  have  not  done  well,  sir,  in  returning  among  us." 

"  I  came  by  the  order  of  my  superior,  and  under  the  sanc- 
tion of  a  flag." 

"  We  are  small  reasoners  in  the  legal  distinctions  of  the 
world,  and  may  mistake  your  rights  in  so  novel  a  character; 
but  if  you  bear  a  message,  I  may  presume  it  is  intended  for 
my  ears?" 

"  For  no  other.     We  are  not  alone,  Captain  Heidegger." 

"  Heed  not  the  boy;  he  is  deaf  at  my  will." 

"I  could  wish  to  communicate  to  you  only,  the  offers  that 
I  bear." 

"  That  mast  is  not  more  senseless  than  Roderick,"  said 
the  other  calmly,  but  with  decision. 

"  Then  I  must  speak  at  every  hazard.  The  commander 
of  yonder  ship,  who  bears  the  commission  of  our  royal 
master,  George  the  Second,  has  ordered  me  to  say  thus 
much  for  your  consideration.  On  the  condition  that  you 
will  surrender  this  vessel,  with  her  stores,  armament,  and 
warlike  munitions,  uninjured,  he  will  content  himself  with 
taking  ten  hostages  from  your  crew,  to  be  decided  by  lot, 
yourself,  and  one  other  of  your  officers,  and  either  to  receive 
the  remainder  into  the  service  of  the  king,  or  to  suffer  them 
to  disperse  in  pursuit  of  a  calling  more  creditable,  and,  as 
it  would  now  appear,  more  safe." 


448  THE    RED    ROVER. 

"This  is  the  liberality  of  a  prince!  I  should  kneel  and 
kiss  the  deck  before  one  whose  lips  utter  such  sounds  of 
mercy!" 

"  I  repeat  but  the  words  of  my  superior,"  Wilder  resumed, 
coloring.  "For  yourself,  he  further  promises,  that  his 
interest  shall  be  exerted  to  procure  a  pardon,  on  condition 
that  you  quit  the  seas,  and  renounce  the  name  of  English- 
man forever." 

"The  latter  is  done  to  his  hands;  but  may  I  know  the 
reason  that  such  lenity  is  shown  to  one  whose  name  has 
been  so  long  proscribed  of  men?" 

"  Captain  Bignall  has  heard  of  your  generous  treatment 
of  his  officer,  and  the  delicacy  that  the  daughter  and  widow 
of  two  ancient  brethren  in  arms  have  received  at  your 
hands.  He  confesses  that  rumor  has  not  done  entire  jus- 
tice to  your  character." 

A  mighty  effort  kept  down  the  gleam  of  exultation  that 
flashed  across  the  features  of  the  Rover,  who,  hc-wever,  suc- 
ceeded in  continuing  entirely  calm  and  immovable. 

"He  has  been  deceived,  sir?"  he  resumed,  as  if  to  en- 
courage the  other  to  proceed. 

"That  much  he  is  willing  to  acknowledge.  A  repre- 
sentation of  this  common  error  to  the  proper  authorities  will 
have  weight  in  procuring  the  promised  amnesty  for  the 
past,  and,  as  he  hopes,  brighter  prospects  for  the  future." 

"  And  does  he  urge  no  other  motive  than  his  pleasure 
why  I  should  make  this  violent  change  in  all  my  habits, 
why  I  should  renounce  an  element  that  has  become  as  neces- 
sary to  me  as  the  one  I  breathe,  and  why,  in  particular,  I  am 
to  disclaim  the  vaunted  privilege  of  calling  myself  a 
Briton?" 

"  He  does.  This  statement  of  a  force,  which  you  may 
freely  examine  with  your  own  eyes,  if  so  disposed,  must 
convince  you  of  the  hopelessness  of  resistance,  and  will,  he 
thinks,  induce  you  to  accept  his  offers." 

"And  what  is  your  opinion?"  the  other  demanded,  with 


THE    RED    ROVER.  449 

a  peculiar  emphasis,  as  he  extended  a  hand  to  receive  the 
written  statement.  "  But  I  beg  pardon,"  he  hastily  added, 
taking  the  look  of  gravity  from  the  countenance  of  his 
companion;  "I  trifle  when  the  moment  requires  serious- 
ness." 

The  eye  of  the  Rover  ran  rapidly  over  the  paper,  resting 
once  or  twice,  with  a  slight  exhibition  of  interest,  on  par- 
ticular points  that  seemed  most  to  merit  his  attention. 

"  You  find  the  superiority  such  as  I  have  already  given 
you  reason  to  believe?"  demanded  Wilder,  when  the  look 
of  the  other  wandered  from  the  paper. 

"  I  do." 

"And  may  I  now  ask  your  decision  on  the  offer?" 

"First,  tell  me  what  does  your  own  heart  advise?  This 
is  but  the  language  of  another." 

"Captain  Heidegger,"  said  Wilder  earnestly,  "I  will  not 
attempt  to  conceal  that,  had  this  message  depended  solely 
on  myself,  it  might  have  been  couched  in  different  terms; 
but  as  one  who  still  deeply  retains  the  recollection  of  your 
generosity,  as  a  man  who  would  not  willingly  induce  even 
an  enemy  to  an  act  of  dishonor,  I  urge  their  acceptance. 
You  will  excuse  me,  if  I  say,  that  in  our  recent  intercourse, 
I  have  had  reason  to  believe  you  already  realize  that  neither 
the  character  you  could  wish  to  earn  nor  the  content  that 
all  men  crave,  is  to  be  found  in  your  present  career." 

"  I  had  not  thought  I  entertained  so  close  a  casuist  in 
Mr.  Henry  Wilder.  Have  you  more  to  urge,  sir?" 

"  Nothing,"  returned  the  disappointed  and  grieved  mes- 
senger. 

"  Yes,  yes,  he  has,"  said  a  low  but  eager  voice  at  the 
elbow  of  the  Rover,  which  rather  seemed  to  breathe  out  the 
syllables  than  dare  to  utter  them  aloud;  "he  has  not  yet 
delivered  the  half  of  his  commission,  or  sadly  has  he  for- 
gotten the  sacred  trust!" 

"  This  boy  is  often  a  dreamer,"  interrupted  the  Rover, 
smiling  with  a  wild  and  haggard  look.  "  He  sometimes 
29 


45O  THE    RED    ROVER. 

gives  form  to  his  unmeaning  thoughts,  by  clothing  them  in 
words." 

"My  thoughts  are  not  unmeaning,"  continued  Roderick, 
in  a  louder  and  bolder  strain.  "  If  his  peace  or  happiness  be 
dear  to  you,  do  not  leave  him.  Tell  him  of  his  high  and 
honorable  name;  of  his  youth;  of  that  gentle  and  virtuous 
being  that  he  once  so  fondly  loved,  and  whose  memory,  even 
now,  he  worships.  Speak  to  him  of  these,  as  you  know  how 
to  speak;  and,  on  my  life,  his  ear  will  not  be  deaf,  his 
heart  cannot  be  callous,  to  your  words." 

"The  urchin  is  mad!" 

"  I  am  not  mad ;  or  if  maddened,  it  is  by  the  crimes,  the 
dangers,  of  those  I  love.  Oh!  Mr.  Wilder,  do  not  leave 
him.  Since  you  have  been  among  us,  he  is  nearer  to  what 
I  know  he  once  was  than  formerly.  Take  away  that  mis- 
taken statement  of  your  force;  threats  do  but  harden  him. 
As  a  friend,  admonish;  but  hope  for  nothing  as  a  minister 
of  vengeance.  You  know  not  the  fearful  nature  of  the 
man,  or  you  would  not  attempt  to  stop  a  torrent.  Now — now 
speak  to  him;  for  his  eye  is  already  growing  kinder." 

"  It  is  in  pity,  boy,  at  witnessing  how  thy  reason  wavers." 

"Had  it  never  swerved  more  than  at  this  moment,  Wal- 
ter, another  need  not  be  called  upon  to  speak  between  thee 
and  me!  My  words  would  then  have  been  regarded,  my 
voice  would  then  have  been  loud  enough  to  be  heard.  Why 
are  you  dumb?  a  single  happy  syllable  might  now  save 
him." 

"Wilder,  the  child  is  frightened  by  this  counting  of 
guns  and  number  of  people.  He  fears  the  anger  of  your 
anointed  master.  Go:  give  him  a  place  in  your  boat,  and 
recommend  him  to  the  mercy  of  your  superior." 

"Away,  away!"  cried  Roderick,  "I  shall  not,  will  not, 
cannot  leave  you.  Who  is  there  left  for  me  in  this  world 
but  you?" 

"  Yes,"  continued  the  Rover,  whose  forced  calmness  of 
expression  changed  to  one  of  melancholy  musing;  "it  will 


THE   RED    ROVER.  451 

indeed  be  better  that  he  should  go.  See,  here  is  much  gold ; 
you  will  commend  him  to  the  care  of  that  admirable  woman 
who  already  watches  one  scarely  less  helpless,  though  pos- 
sibly less—  — " 

"Guilty!  speak  the  word  boldly,  Walter.  I  have  earned 
the  epithet  and  shall  not  shrink  to  hear  it  spoken.  Look," 
he  said,  taking  the  ponderous  bag  which  had  been  extended 
towards  Wilder,  and  holding  it  above  his  head,  in  scorn, 
"  this  can  I  cast  from  me ;  but  the  tie  which  binds  me  to 
thee  shall  never  be  broken." 

As  he  spoke,  the  lad  approached  an  open  window  of  the 
cabin ;  a  splash  upon  the  water  was  heard,  and  then  a  treas- 
ure that  might  have  furnished  a  competence  to  moderate 
wishes,  was  lost  for  ever  to  the  uses  of  man.  The  lieutenant 
of  the  Dart  turned  in  haste  to  deprecate  the  anger  of  the 
Rover;  but  he  could  trace,  in  the  features  of  the  lawless 
chief,  no  other  emotion  than  a  pity  which  was  discoverable 
even  through  his  unmoved  smile. 

"  Roderick  would  make  -  but  a  faithless  treasurer,"  he 
said.  "  Still,  it  is  not  too  late  to  restore  him  to  his  friends. 
The  loss  of  the  gold  can  be  repaired;  but,  should  any  seri- 
ous calamity  befall  the  boy,  I  might  never  regain  a  per- 
fect peace  of  mind." 

"Then  keep  him  near  yourself,"  murmured  the  lad, 
whose  vehemence  seemingly  had  expended  itself.  "Go, 
Mr.  Wilder,  your  boat  is  waiting;  a  longer  stay  will  be 
without  an  object." 

"I  fear  it  will!"  returned  our  adventurer,  who  had  not 
ceased,  during  the  previous  dialogue,  to  keep  his  look  fas- 
tened in  manly  commiseration  on  the  countenance  of  the 
boy;— "I  greatly  fear  it  will!-"— Since  I  have  come  the 
messenger  of  another,  Captain  Heidegger,  it  is  your  prov- 
ince to  supply  the  answer  to  my  proposition." 

The  Rover  took  him  by  the  arm,  and  led  him  to  a  posi- 
tion whence  they  might  look  upon  the  outer  scene.  Point- 
ing upward  at  his  spars;  and  making  his  companion  observe 


452  THE   RED    ROVER. 

the  small  quantity  of  sail  he  carried,  he  simply  said:  "Sir, 
you  are  a  seaman,  and  may  judge  of  my  intentions  by  this. 
I  shall  neither  seek  nor  avoid  your  boasted  cruiser." 


CHAPTER   XXX. 

Front  to  front, 

Bring  thou  this  fiend 

Within  my  sword's  length  set  him  ;  if  he  'scape, 
Heaven  forgive  him  too ! 

Macbeth. 

"You  have  brought  the  grateful  submission  of  the  pirate!" 
exclaimed  the  sanguine  commander  of  the  Dart,  as  the  foot 
of  his  messenger  touched  his  deck. 

"I  bring  nothing  but  defiance!" 

"Did  you  exhibit  my  statement?"  Surely,  Mr.  Ark,  so 
material  a  document  was  not  forgotten?" 

"  Nothing  was  forgotten  that  the  warmest  interest  in  his 
safety  could  suggest,  Captain  Bignall.  Still  he  refuses  to 
hearken  to  your  conditions." 

"  Perhaps,  sir,  he  imagines  that  we  are  defective  in  some 
of  our  spars?  He  may  hope  to  escape  by  pressing  the  can- 
vas on  his  own  light-heeled  ship?" 

"Does  that  look  like  flight?"  demanded  Wilder,  extend- 
ing an  arm  towards  the  nearly  naked  spars  and  motionless 
hull  of  their  neighbor.  "  The  utmost  I  can  obtain  is  an 
assurance  that  he  will  not  be  the  assailant." 

"  'Fore  George,  he  is  a  merciful  youth !  and  one  that 
should  be  commended  for  moderation!  He  will  not  run  his 
disorderly  picarooning  company  under  the  guns  of  a  British 
man-of-war,  because  he  owes  a  little  reverence  to  the  flag  of 
his  master.  Hark  ye,  Mr.  Ark,  we  will  remember  the  cir- 
cumstance when  questioned  at  the  Old  Bailey.  Send  the 
people  to  their  guns,  sir,  and  ware  the  ship  round,  to  put 
an  end  at  once  to  this  foolery,  or  we  shall  have  him  sending 
a  boat  aboard  to  examine  our  commissions." 


THE    RED    ROVER.  453 

"Captain  Bignall,"  said  Wilder,  leading  his  commander 
still  further  from  the  ears  of  their  inferiors,  "  I  may  lay 
some  little  claim  to  merit  for  services  done  under  your  own 
eyes,  and  in  obedience  to  your  orders.  If  my  former  con- 
duct gives  me  any  title  to  presume  to  counsel  one  of  your 
great  experience,  suffer  me  to  urge  a  short  delay." 

"Delay!  Does  Henry  Ark  hesitate,  when  the  enemies  of 
his  king,  nay  more,  the  enemies  of  man,  are  daring  him  to 
his  duty?" 

"  Sir,  you  mistake  me.  I  hesitate,  in  order  that  the  flag 
under  which  we  sail  may  be  free  from  stain,  and  not  with 
any  intent  of  avoiding  the  combat.  Our  enemy,  my  enemy, 
knows  that  he  has  nothing  now  to  expect  for  his  past  gener- 
osity, but  kindness  should  he  become  our  captive.  Still, 
Captain  Bignall,  I  ask  for  time,  to  prepare  the  Dart  for  a 
confli  t  that  will  try  all  her  powers,  and  to  insure  a  victory 
that  will  not  be  bought  without  a  price." 

"  But,  should  he  escape " 

"  On  my  life,  he  will  not  attempt  it.  I  not  only  know  the 
man,  but  his  formidable  means  of  resistance.  A  half-hour 
will  put  us  in  the  necessary  condition,  and  do  no  discredit 
either  to  our  spirit  or  to  our  prudence." 

The  veteran  yielded  a  reluctant  consent,  which  was  not, 
however,  accorded  without  much  muttering  concerning  the 
disgrace  a  British  man-of-war  incurred  in  not  running  along- 
side the  boldest  pirate  that  floated,  and  blowing  him  out  of 
water  with  a  single  match.  Wilder,  who  was  accustomed  to 
the  honest  professional  bravados  that  often  formed  a  pecu- 
liar embellishment  to  the  really  firm  and  manly  resolution 
of  the  seamen  of  that  age,  permitted  him  to  complain  at 
will,  while  he  busied  himself  in  a  manner  that  he  knew  was 
now  of  the  last  importance,  and  in  a  duty  that  properly 
came  under  his  more  immediate  inspection. 

The  "order  for  all  hands  to  clear  ship  for  action"  was 
again  given,  and  received  in  the  cheerful  temper  with 
which  mariners  are  wont  to  welcome  any  of  the  more  im- 


454  THE  RED  ROVER. 

portant  changes  of  their  exciting  profession.  Little  re- 
mained, however,  to  be  done;  for  most  of  the  previous 
preparations  had  still  been  left  as  at  the  original  meeting 
of  the  two  vessels.  Then  came  the  beat  to  quarters,  and  tht 
more  serious  and  fearful-looking  preparations  for  certain 
combat.  After  these  arrangements  were  completed,  the  crew 
at  their  guns,  the  sail-trimmers  at  the  braces,  and  the  officers 
in  their  several  batteries,  the  after-yards  were  swung,  and 
the  ship  was  once  more  put  in  motion. 

During  this  brief  interval,  the  vessel  of  the  Rover  lay  at 
the  distance  of  half  a  mile,  in  a  state  of  entire  rest,  without 
betraying  the  smallest  interest  in  the  obvious  movements  of 
her  hostile  neighbor.  When,  however,  the  Dart  was  seen 
yielding  to  the  breeze,  and  gradually  increasing  her  veloc- 
ity, until  the  water  was  gathering  under  her  forefoot  in  a 
little  rolling  wave  of  foam,  the  bows  of  the  other  fell  off 
from  the  direction  of  the  wind,  the  topsail  was  filled,  and, 
in  her  turn,  the  hull  was  held  in  command  by  giving  to  it 
the  impetus  of  motion.  The  Dart  now  set  again  at  her  gaff 
that  broad  field  which  had  been  lowered  during  the  confer- 
ence, and  which  had  floated  in  triumph  through  the  hazards 
and  struggles  of  a  thousand  combats.  No  answering  em- 
blem, however,  was  exhibited  from  the  peak  of  her  ad- 
versary. 

In  this  manner  the  two  ships  "gathered  way,"  as  it  is  ex- 
pressed in  nautical  language,  watching  each  other  with  eyes 
as  jealous  as  if  they  had  been  rival  monsters  of  the  grear 
deep,  each  endeavoring  to  conceal  from  his  antagonist  the 
evolution  he  contemplated  next.  The  earnest  manner  of 
Wilder  had  not  failed  to  produce  its  influence  on  the 
straight-minded  seaman  who  commanded  the  Dart,  and,  by 
this  time,  he  was  as  much  disposed  as  his  lieutenant  to  ap- 
proach the  conflict  leisurely,  and  with  proper  caution. 

The  day  had  hitherto  been  cloudless,  and  a  vault  of  purer 
blue  never  canopied  a  waste  of  water  than  the  arch  which 
had  stretched  for  hours  above  the  heads  of  our  marine  ad 


THE    RED    ROVER.  455 

venturers.  But,  as  if  nature  frowned  on  their  present 
bloody  designs,  a  dark,  threatening  mass  of  vapor  was 
blending  the  ocean  with  the  sky,  in  a  direction  opposed  to 
the  currents  of  the  air.  These  well-known  and  ominous 
signs  did  not  escape  the  vigilance  of  those  who  manned  the 
hostile  ships,  but  the  danger  was  deemed  too  remote  to 
interrupt  the  higher  interest  of  the  approaching  combat. 

"  We  have  a  squall  brewing  in  the  west,"  said  the  experi- 
enced and  wary  Bignall,  pointing  to  the  frowning  symptoms 
as  he  spoke ;  "  but  we  can  handle  the  pirate,  and  get  all  snug 
again,  before  it  works  its  way  up  against  this  breeze." 

Wilder  assented;  for,  by  this  time,  professional  pride 
was  swelling  in  his  bosom  also,  and  a  generous  rivalry  was 
getting  the  mastery  of  feelings  that  were  possibly  foreign  to 
his  duty,  however  natural  they  might  have  been  in  one  as 
open  to  kindness  as  himself. 

"The  Rover  is  even  sending  down  all  his  lighter  masts!'7 
exclaimed  the  youth;  "it  would  seem  that  he  distrusts  the 
weather." 

"We  will  not  follow  his  example;  for  he  will  wish  they 
were  aloft  again,  the  moment  we  get  him  fairly  under  the 
play  of  our  batteries.  By  George  our  King,  but  he  has  a 
pretty  moving  boat  under  him !  Let  fall  the  main-course, 
sir;  down  with  it,  or  we  shall  have  it  night  before  we  get 
the  rogue-a-beam." 

The  order  was  obeyed;  when  the  Dart,  feeling  the  power- 
ful impulse,  quickened  her  speed,  like  an  animated  being 
that  is  freshly  impelled  by  its  apprehensions  or  its  wishes. 
By  this  time  she  had  gained  a  position  on  the  weather  quar- 
ter of  her  adversary,  who  had  not  manifested  the  smallest 
desire  to  prevent  her  attaining  so  material  an  advantage. 
On  the  contrary,  while  the  Dolphin  kept  the  same  canvas 
spread,  she  continued  to  lighten  her  top-hamper,  bringing 
as  much  of  the  weight  as  possible  from  the  towering  height 
of  her  tall  masts  within  the  greater  security  of  the  hull. 
Still,  the  distance  between  them  was  too  great,  in  the 


THE  RED  ROVER. 

opinion  of  Bignall,  to  commence  the  contest,  while  the 
facility  with  which  his  adversary  moved  ahead  threatened 
to  protract  the  important  moment  to  an  unreasonable  ex- 
tent, or  to  reduce  him  to  a  crowd  of  sail  that  might  prove 
embarrassing,  while  enveloped  in  the  smoke,  and  pressed  by 
the  urgencies  of  the  combat. 

"  We  will  touch  his  pride,  sir,  since  you  think  him  a  man 
of  spirit,"  said  the  veteran.  "  Give  him  a  weather-gun,  and 
show  him  another  of  his  master's  ensigns." 

The  roar  of  the  piece,  and  the  display  of  three  more  of 
the  fields  of  England  in  quick  succession  from  different 
parts  of  the  Dart,  failed  to  produce  the  slightest  evidence 
even  of  observation  aboard  their  ^seemingly  insensible 
neighbor.  The  Dolphin  still  kept  on  her  way,  occasionally 
swooping  up  to  touch  the  wind,  and  then  deviating  from 
her  course  again  to  leeward,  as  the  porpoise  is  seen  to 
turn  aside  from  his  direction  to  snuff  the  breeze,  while  he 
lazily  sports  along  his  briny  path. 

"He  will  not  be  moved  by  any  of  the  devices  of  lawful 
and  ordinary  warfare,"  said  Wilder,  when  he  witnessed  the 
indifference  with  which  their  challenge  had  been  received. 

"Try  him  with  a  shot." 

A  gun  was  now  discharged  from  the  side  next  the  still 
receding  Dolphin.  The  iron  messenger  was  seen  bounding 
along  the  surface  of  the  sea,  skipping  lightly  from  wave 
to  wave,  until  it  cast  a  little  cloud  of  spray  upon  the  deck 
of  their  enemy,  as  it  boomed  harmlessly  past  her  hull. 
Another,  and  yet  another  followed,  without  in  any  manner 
extracting  signal  or  notice  from  the  Rover. 

"How's  this?"  exclaimed  the  disappointed  Bignall. 
"  Has  he  a  charm  for  his  ship,  that  all  our  shot  sweep  over 
him  in  rain!  Master  Fid,  can  you  do  nothing  for  the  credit 
of  honest  people  and  the  honor  of  a  pennant?  Let  us  hear 
from  your  old  favorite ;  in  times  past,  she  used  to  speak  to 
better  purpose." 

"  Ay,  ay,  sir,"  returned  the  accommodating  Richard,  who, 


THE    RED    ROVER.  457 

in  the  sudden  turns  of  his  fortune,  found  himself  in  author- 
ity over  a  much-loved  and  long-cherished  piece.  "  I  chris- 
tened the  gun  after  Mistress  Whiffle,  your  honor,  for  the 
same  reason,  that  they  both  can  do  their  own  talking.  Now, 
stand  aside,  my  lads,  and  let  clattering  Kate  have  a  word 
in  the  discourse." 

Richard,  who  had  coolly  taken  his  sight  while  speaking, 
deliberately  applied  the  match  with  his  own  hand,  and, 
with  a  philosophy  that  was  sufficiently  to  be  commended  in 
a  mercenary,  sent  what  he  boldly  pronounced  to  be  "  a 
thorough  straight-goer"  in  the  direction  'of  his  recent  asso- 
ciates. The  usual  moments  of  suspense  succeeded,  and 
then  the  torn  fragments  which  were  scattered  in  the  air  an- 
nounced that  the  shot  had  passed  through  the  nettings  of  the 
Dolphin.  The  effect  on  the  vessel  of  the  Rover  was  nearly 
magical.  A  long  stripe  of  cream-colored  canvas,  which 
had  been  artfully  extended  from  stem  to  stern,  in  a  line 
with  her  guns,  disappeared  as  suddenly  as  a  bird  would 
shut  its  wings,  leaving  in  its  place  a  broad,  blood-red  belt, 
that  was  bristling  with  the  armament  of  the  ship.  At  the 
same  time,  an  ensign,  of  a  similar  ominous  color,  rose  from 
her  poop,  and,  fluttering  darkly  and  fiercely  for  a  moment, 
it  became  fixed  at  the  end  of  the  gaff. 

"Now  I  know  him  for  the  knave  that  he  is!"  cried  the 
excited  Bignall;  "and,  see!  he  has  thrown  away  his  false 
paint,  and  shows  the  well-known  bloody  side,  from  which  he 
gets  his  name.  Stand  to  your  guns,  my  men !  the  pirate  is 
getting  to  be  in  earnest." 

He  was  still  speaking,  when  a  sheet  of  bright  flame 
glanced  from  out  that  streak  of  red  which  was  so  well 
adapted  to  work  upon  the  superstitious  awe  of  the  common 
mariners,  and  was  followed  by  the  simultaneous  explosion 
of  a  dozen  wide-mouthed  pieces  of  artillery.  The  startling 
change  from  inattention  and  indifference  to  this  act  of  bold 
and  decided  hostility  produced  a  strong  effect  on  the  bold- 
est heart  on  board  the  king's  cruiser.  The  momentary  in- 


45 &  THE    RED    ROVER. 

terval  of  suspense  was  passed  in  unchanged  attitudes  and 
looks  of  breathless  attention;  and  then  the  rushing  of  the 
iron  storm  was  heard  hurtling  through  the  air,  as  it  came 
fearfully  on.  The  crash  that  followed,  mingled  as  it  was 
with  human  groans,  and  succeeded  by  the  tearing  of  riven 
plank,  and  the  scattering  of  splinters,  ropes,  blocks,  and  the 
implements  of  war,  proclaimed  the  fatal  accuracy  of  the 
broadside.  But  the  surprise  and  the  brief  confusion  en- 
dured but  for  an  instant.  The  English  shouted,  sending 
back  a  return  to  the  deadly  assault  they  had  just  received, 
recovering  manfully  and  promptly  from  the  shock  it  had 
assuredly  given. 

The  ordinary  and  more  regular  cannonading  of  a  naval 
combat  succeeded.  Anxious  to  precipitate  the  issue,  both 
ships  pressed  nigher  to  each  other  the  while,  until  in  a  few 
moments,  the  two  white  canopies  of  smoke  that  were 
wreathing  about  their  respective  masts  were  blended  in  one, 
marking  a  solitary  spot  of  strife,  in  the  midst  of  a  scene  of 
broad  and  bright  tranquillity.  The  discharges  of  the  cannon 
were  hot,  close,  and  incessant.  While  the  hostile  parties, 
however,  closely  imitated  each  other  in  their  zeal  in  deal- 
ing out  destruction,  a  peculiar  difference  marked  the  distinc- 
tion in  character  of  the  two  crews.  Loud,  cheering  shouts 
accompanied  each  discharge  from  the  lawful  cruiser,  while 
the  people  of  the  Rover  did  their  murderous  work  in  the 
silence  of  desperation. 

The  spirit  and  uproar  of  the  scene  soon  quickened  that 
blood  in  the  veins  of  the  veteran  Bignall,  which  had  begun 
to  circulate  a  little  slowly  by  time. 

"The  fellow  has  not  forgotten  his  art!"  he  exclaimed,  as 
the  effects  of  his  enemy's  skill  were  getting  to  be  but  too 
manifest  in  the  rent  sails,  shivered  spars,  and  tottering 
masts  of  his  own  ship.  "  Had  he  but  the  commission  of  the 
king  in  his  pocket,  one  might  call  him  a  hero!" 

The  emergency  was  foo  urgent  to  throw  away  the  time  in 
words.  Wilder  answered  only  by  cheering  his  own  people 


THE    RED    ROVER.  459 

to  their  fierce  and  laborious  task.  The  ships  had  now 
fallen  off  before  the  wind,  and  were  running  parallel  to 
each  other,  emitting  sheets  of  flame  that  were  incessantly 
glancing  through  immense  volumes  of  smoke.  The  spars  of 
the  respective  vessels  were  alone  visible,  at  brief  and  un- 
certain intervals.  Many  minutes  had  thus  passed,  seeming 
to  those  engaged  but  a  moment  of  time,  when  the  mariners 
of  the  Dart  found  that  they  no  longer  held  their  vessel  in 
the  quick  command  so  necessary  to  their  situation.  The 
important  circumstance  was  instantly  conveyed  from  the 
master  to  Wilder,  and  from  Wilder  to  his  superior.  A 
hasty  consultation  on  the  cause  and  consequences  of 
this  unexpected  event  was  the  immediate  and  natural  re- 
sult. 

"  See !"  cried  Wilder,  "  the  sails  are  already  hanging 
against  the  masts  like  rags;  the  explosions  of  the  artillery 
have  stilled  the  wind." 

"Hark!"  answered  the  more  experienced  Bignall:  "there 
goes  the  artillery  of  Heaven  among  our  own  guns.  The 
squall  is  already  upon  us — port  the  helm,  sir,  and  sheer  the 
ship  out  of  the  smoke!  Hard  a-port  with  the  helm,  sir,  at 
once!  hard  with  it  a-port,  I  say!" 

But  the  lazy  motion  of  the  vessel  did  not  answer  to  the 
impatience  of  those  who  directed  her  movements,  nor  did  it 
meet  the  pressing  exigencies  of  the  moment.  In  the  mean 
time,  while  Bignall  and  the  officers  whose  duties  kept  them 
near  his  person,  assisted  by  the  sail-trimmers,  were  thus 
occupied,  the  people  in  the  batteries  continued  their  mur- 
derous employment.  The  roar  of  cannon  was  incessant 
and  nearly  overwhelming,  though  there  were  instants  when 
the  ominous  mutterings  of  the  atmosphere  were  too  distinctly 
audible  to  be  mistaken.  Still  the  eye  could  lend  no  assist- 
ance to  the  hearing,  in  determining  the  judgment  of  the 
mariners.  Hull,  spars,  and  sails  were  alike  enveloped  in 
the  curling  wreaths  which  wrapped  heaven,  air,  vessels,  and 
ocean  alike,  in  one  white,  obscure,  foggy  mantle.  Even 


THE    RED    ROVER. 

the  persons  of  the  crew  were  merely  seen  at  instants  labor- 
ing at  the  guns,  through  brief  and  varying  openings. 

"  I  never  knew  the  smoke  pack  so  heavy  on  the  deck  of  a 
ship  before,"  said  Bignall,  with  a  concern  that-  even  his 
caution  could  not  entirely  repress.  "  Keep  the  helm  a-port — 
jam  it  hard,  sir!  By  Heaven,  Mr.  Wilder  those  knaves  well 
know  they  are  struggling  for  their  lives!" 

"The  fight  is  all  our  own!"  shouted  the  second  lieuten- 
nat,  from  among  the  guns,  stanching,  as  he  spoke,  the  blood 
of  a  severe  splinter  wound  in  the  face,  and  far  too  intent  on 
his  own  immediate  occupation  to  notice  the  signs  of  the 
weather.  "  He  has  not  answered  with  a  single  gun,  for  near 
a  minute." 

"  'Fore  George,  the  rogues  have  enough!"  exclaimed  the 
delighted  Bignall.     "  Three  cheers  for  vie — — 

"Hold,  sir!"  interrupted  Wilder,  with  sufficient  decision 
to  check  his  commander's  premature  exultation;  "on  my 
life,  our  work  is  not  so  soon  ended.  I  think,  indeed,  his 
guns  are  silent; — but  see!  the  smoke  is  beginning  to  lift. 
In  a  few  more  minutes,  if  our  own  fire  should  cease,  the 
view  will  be  clear." 

A  shout  from  the  men  in  the  batteries  interrupted  his 
words;  and  then  came  a  general  cry  that  the  pirates  were 
sheering  off.  The  exultation  at  this  fancied  evidence  of 
their  superiority  was,  however,  soon  and  fearfully  inter- 
rupted. A  bright  vivid  flash  penetrated  through  the  dense 
vapor  which  still  hung  about  them  in  a  most  extraordinary 
manner,  and  was  followed  by  a  crash  from  the  heavens,  to 
which  the  simultaneous  explosion  of  fifty  pieces  of  artillery 
would  have  sounded  feeble. 

"Call  the  people  from  their  guns!"  said  Bignall,  in 
those  suppressed  tones  that  are  only  more  portentous  from 
their  forced  and  unnatural  calmness :  "  call  them  away  at 
once,  sir,  and  get  the  canvas  in!" 

Wilder,  startled  more  at  the  proximity  and  apparent 
weight  of  the  squall  than  at  words  to  which  he  had  long 


THE    RED   ROVER.  461 

been  accustomed,  delayed  not  to  give  an  order  that  was  so 
urgent.  The  men  left  their  batteries,  like  athletes  retiring 
from  the  arena,  some  bleeding  and  faint,  some  fierce  and 
angry,  and  all  more  or  less  excited  by  the  furious  scene  in 
which  they  had  just  been  actors.  Many  sprang  to  the  well- 
known  ropes,  while  others,  as  they  ascended  into  the  cloud 
which  still  hung  on  the  vessel,  became  lost  to  the  eye  in 
her  rigging. 

"  Shall  I  reef,  or  furl?"  demanded  Wilder,  standing  with 
trumpet  at  his  lips,  ready  to  issue  the  necessary  order. 

"Hold,  sir;  another  minute  will  give  us  an  opening." 

The  lieutenant  paused ;  for  he  was  not  slow  to  see  that 
now,  indeed,  the  veil  was  about  to  be  drawn  from  their  real 
situation.  The  smoke  which  had  lain  upon  their  very 
decks,  pressed  down  by  the  superincumbent  weight  of  the 
atmosphere,  first  began  to  stir;  was  then  see  eddy  ing  among 
the  masts;  and,  finally,  whirled  wildly  away  before  a  strong 
current  of  air.  The  view  was,  indeed,  now  all  before 
them. 

In  place  of  the  glorious  sun,  and  that  bright,  blue 
canopy  which  had  lain  above  them  a  short  half-hour  before, 
the  heavens  were  clothed  in  one  immense  black  veil.  The 
sea  reflected  the  portentous  color,  looking  dark  and  an- 
grily ;  the  waves  had  already  lost  their  regular  rise  and  fall, 
and  were  tossing  to  and  fro,  awaiting  the  power  that  was 
to  give  them  direction  and  force.  The  flashes  from  the 
heavens  were  not  in  quick  succession ;  but  the  few  that  did 
break  upon  the  gloominess  of  the  scene  came  in  majesty 
and  with  dazzling  brightness.  They  were  accompanied  by 
the  terrific  thunder  of  the  tropics,  in  which  it  is  scarcely 
profanation  to  fancy  that  the  voice  of  One  who  made  the 
universe  is  actually  speaking  to  the  creatures  of  his  hand. 
On  every  side  was  the  appearance  of  a  fierce  and  dangerous 
struggle  in  the  elements.  The  vessel  of  the  Rover  was 
running  lightly  before  a  breeze,  which  had  already  come 
fresh  and  fitful  from  the  cloud,  with  her  sails  reduced,  and 


462  THE    RED    ROVER. 

her  people  coolly  but  actively  employed  in  repairing  the 
damages  of  the  fight. 

Not  a  moment  was  to  be  lost  in  imitating  the  example  of 
the  wary  freebooters.  The  head  of  the  Dart  was  hastily, 
and  happily,  got  in  a  direction  contrary  to  the  breeze ;  and 
as  she  began  to  follow  the  course  taken  by  the  Dolphin,  an 
attempt  was  made  to  gather  her  torn  and  nearly  useless 
canvas  to  the  yards.  But  precious  minutes  had  been  lost 
in  the  smoky  canopy,  that  might  never  be  regained.  The 
sea  changed  its  color  from  a  dark  green  to  a  glittering 
white;  and  then  the  fury  of  the  gust  was  heard  rushing 
fearfully  along  the  water,  and  with  a  violence  that  could 
not  be  resisted. 

"Be  lively,  men!"  shouted  Bignall  himself,  in  the 
exigency  in  which  his  vessel  was  placed;  "roll  up  the 
cloth;  in  with  it  all — leave  not  a  rag  to  the  squall!  'Fore 
George,  Mr.  Wilder,  but  this  wind  is  not  playing  with  us; 
cheer  the  men  to  their  work ;  speak  to  them  cheerily,  sir !" 

"Furl  away!"  shouted  Wilder.  "  Cut,  if  too  late;  work 
away  with  knives  and  teeth — down,  every  man  of  you  down 
— down  for  your  lives,  all  1" 

There  was  an  energy  in  the  voice  of  the  lieutenant  which 
sounded  supernatural  in  the  ears  of  his  people.  He  had  so 
recently  witnessed  a  calamity  similar  to  that  which  again 
threatened  him,  that  his  feelings  lent  horror  to  the  tones. 
A  score  of  forms  descended  swiftly  through  an  atmosphere 
that  appeared  sensible  to  the  touch.  Nor  was  their  escape, 
which  might  be  likened  to  the  stooping  of  birds  that  dart 
into  their  nest,  too  earnestly  pressed.  Stripped  of  its  rig- 
gings, and  already  tottering  under  numerous  wounds,  the 
lofty  and  overloaded  spars  yielded  to  the  mighty  force  of 
the  squall,  tumbling  in  succession  towards  the  hull,  until 
nothing  stood  but  the  three  firmer,  but  shorn,  and  nearly  use- 
less, lower  masts.  By  far  the  greater  number  of  those  aloft 
reached  the  deck  in  time  to  insure  their  safety,  though  some 
there  were  too  stubborn,  and  still  too  much  under  the  sul- 


THE    RED    ROVER.  463 

len  influence  of  the  combat,  to  hearken  to  the  words  of 
warning.  These  victims  of  their  own  obstinacy  were  seen 
clinging  to  the  broken  fragments  of  the  spars,  as  the  Dart, 
in  a  cloud  of  foam,  drove  away  from  the  spot  where  they 
floated,  until  their  persons  and  their  misery  were  alike 
swallowed  in  the  distance. 

"It  is  the  hand  of  God!"  hoarsely  exclaimed  the  veteran 
Bignall,  while  his  eye  drank  in  the  destruction  of  the 
wreck.  "Mark  me,  Henry  Ark;  I  will  forever  testify  that 
the  guns  of  the  pirate  have  not  brought  us  to  this  condition." 

Little  disposed  to  seek  the  same  miserable  consolation  as 
his  commander,  Wilder  exerted  himself  in  counteracting,  as 
far  as  circumstances  would  allow,  an  injury  that  he  felt, 
however,  at  that  moment  to  be  irreparable.  Amid  the  howl- 
ing of  the  gust,  and  the  fearful  crashing  of  the  thunder,  with 
an  atmosphere  now  lurid  with  the  glare  of  lightning,  and 
now  nearly  obscured  by  the  dark  canopy  of  vapor,  and  with  all 
the  frightful  evidences  of  the  fight  still  reeking  and  ghastly 
before  their  eyes,  did  the  men  of  the  British  cruiser  prove  true 
to  themselves  and  to  their  ancient  reputation.  The  voices 
of  Bignall  and  his  subordinates  were  heard  in  the  tempest, 
uttering  those  mandates  which  long  experience  had  rendered 
familiar,  or  encouraging  their  people  to  their  duty.  Happily 
the  strife  of  the  elements  was  of  short  continuance.  The 
squall  soon  swept  over  the  spot,  leaving  the  currents  of  the 
trade  returning  into  their  former  channels,  and  a  sea  that 
was  rather  stilled  than  agitated  by  the  counteracting  in- 
fluence of  the  wind. 

But,  as  one  danger  passed  away  from  before  the  eyes  of 
the  mariners  of  the  Dart,  another,  scarcely  less  to  be  appre- 
hended, forced  itself  upon  their  attention.  All  recollection 
of  the  favors  of  the  past,  and  every  feeling  of  gratitude,  was 
banished  from  the  mind  of  Wilder  by  the  mountings  of 
professional  pride,  and  that  love  of  glory  which  becomes  in- 
herent in  the  warrior,  as  he  gazed  on  the  untouched  and 
beautiful  symmetry  of  the  Dolphin's  spars,  and  all  the  per- 


464  THE   RED   ROVER. 

feet  and  unharmed  order  of  her  tackle.  It  seemed  as  if  she 
bore  a  charmed  fate,  or  that  some  supernatural  agency  had 
been  instrumental  in  preserving  her  amid  the  violence  of  a 
second  hurricane.  But  cooler  thought,  and  more  impartial 
reflection,  compelled  the  internal  acknowledgment,  that  the 
vigilance  and  wise  precautions  of  the  remarkable  individual 
who  appeared  not  only  to  govern  her  movements,  but  to  con- 
trol her  fortunes,  had  their  proper  influence  in  producing 
the  result. 

Little  leisure,  however,  was  allowed  to  ruminate  on  these 
changes,  or  to  deprecate  the  advantage  of  their  enemy. 
The  vessel  of  the  Rover  had  already  opened  many  broad 
sheets  of  canvas;  and,  as  the  return  of  the  regular  breeze 
gave  her  the  wind,  her  approach  was  rapid  and  unavoidable. 

"  'Fore  George,  Mr.  Ark,  luck  is  all  on  the  dishonest  side 
to-day,"  said  the  veteran,  when  he  perceived,  by  the  direc- 
tion which  the  Dolphin  took,  that  the  encounter  was  likely  to 
be  renewed.  "  Send  the  people  to  quarters  again,  and  clear 
away  the  guns;  we  are  likely  to  have  another  bout  with  the 
rogues." 

"  I  would  advise  a  moment's  delay,"  Wilder  earnestly 
observed,  when  he  heard  his  commander  issuing  an  order 
to  his  people  to  prepare  to  deliver  their  fire,  the  instant 
their  enemy  should  come  within  a  favorable  position.  "  Let 
me  entreat  you  to  delay;  we  know  not  what  may  be  his 
present  intentions." 

"  None  shall  put  foot  on  the  deck  of  the  Dart,  without 
submitting  to  the  authority  of  her  royal  master,"  returned 
the  stern  old  tar.  "  Give  it  to  him,  my  men !  Scatter  the 
rogues  from  their  guns !  Let  them  know  the  danger  of  ap- 
proaching a  lion,  though  he  should  be  crippled." 

Wilder  saw  that  remonstrance  was  too  late ;  for  a  fresh 
broadside  was  hurled  from  the  Dart,  to  defeat  any  generous 
intentions  that  the  Rover  might  entertain.  The  ship  of  the 
latter  received  the  iron  storm  while  advancing,  and  imme- 
diately deviated  from  her  course,  in  such  a  way  as  to  pre- 


THE    RED    ROVER.  465 

vent  its  repetition.  Then  she  was  seen  sweeping  towards 
the  bows  of  the  nearly  helpless  cruiser  of  the  king,  and  a 
hoarse  summons  was  heard  ordering  her  ensign  to  be 
lowered. 

"Come  on,  ye  villains!"  shouted  the  excited  Bignall. 
"  Come,  and  perform  the  office  with  your  own  hands!" 

The  graceful  ship,  as  if  sensible  herself  to  the  taunts  of 
her  enemy,  sprang  nigher  to  the  wind,  and  shooting  across 
the  forefoot  of  the  Dart,  delivered  her  fire,  gun  after  gun, 
with  deliberate  and  deadly  accuracy,  full  into  that  defence- 
less portion  of  her  antagonist.  A  crush  like  that  of  meet- 
ing bodies  followed,  when  fifty  grim  visages  were  seen  enter- 
ing the  scene  of  carnage,  armed  with  the  deadly  weapons  of 
personal  conflict.  The  shock  of  so  close  and  so  fatal  a 
discharge  had,  for  the  moment,  paralyzed  the  efforts  of  the 
assailed ;  but  no  sooner  did  Bignall  and  his  lieutenant  see 
the  dark  forms  that  issued  from  the  smoke  on  their  own 
decks,  than,  with  voices  that  had  not  even  lost  authority, 
each  summoned  a  band  of  followers,  backed  by  whom  they 
bravely  dashed  into  opposite  gangways  of  their  ship,  to  stay 
the  torrent.  The  first  encounter  was  fierce  and  fatal,  both 
arties  receding  a  little,  to  wait  for  succor  and  recover 
breath. 

"Come  on,  ye  murderous  thieves!"  cried  the  dauntless 
veteran,  who  stood  foremost  in  his  own  band,  conspicuous  by 
the  gray  locks  that  floated  around  his  naked  head,  "  well  do 
ye  know  that  Heaven  is  with  the  right!" 

The  grim  freebooters  in  his  front  recoiled  and  opened; 
then  came  a  sheet  of  flame,  from  the  side  of  the  Dolphin, 
through  an  empty  port  of  her  adversary,  bearing  in  its  cen- 
tre a  hundred  deadly  missiles.  The  sword  of  Bignall  was 
flourished  furiously  and  wildly  above  his  head,  and  his 
voice  was  still  heard  shouting  till  utterance  failed  him: 

"Come  on,  ye  knaves!  come  on!"  he  cried. — "Harry — 
Harry  Ark !  Oh,  God !— Hurrah !" 

He  fell  like  a  log,  and  died  the  unwitting  owner  of  that 
30 


466  THE    RED    ROVER. 

very  commission  for  which  he  had  toiled  throughout  a  life 
of  hardship  and  danger.  Until  now,  Wilder  had  made  good 
his  quarter  of  the  deck,  though  pressed  by  a  band  as  fierce 
and  daring  as  his  own ;  but  at  this  fearful  crisis  in  the  com- 
bat a  voice  was  heard  in  the  melee  that  thrilled  on  all  his 
own  nerves,  seeming  even  to  carry  its  fearful  influence  over 
the  minds  of  his  men. 

"Make  way  there,  make  way!"  it  said,  in  tones,  clear, 
deep,  and  breathing  with  authority,  "make  way,  and  follow; 
no  hand  but  mine  shall  lower  that  vaunting  flag!" 

"Stand  to  your  faith,  my  men!"  shouted  Wilder,  in  reply. 
Shouts,  oaths,  imprecations,  and  groans  formed  a  fearful 
accompaniment  of  the  rude  encounter,  which,  was,  however, 
too  violent  to  continue  long.  Wilder  saw,  with  agony,  that 
numbers  and  impetuosity  were  sweeping  his  supporters 
from  around  him.  Again  and  again  he  called  them  to  the 
succor  with  his  voice,  or  stimulated  them  to  daring  by  his 
example. 

Friend  after  friend  fell  at  his  feet,  until  he  was  driven  to 
the  utmost  extremity  of  the  deck.  Here  he  again  rallied  a 
little  band,  against  which  several  furious  charges  were 
made  in  vain. 

"Ha!"  exclaimed  a  voice  he  well  knew;  "death  to  all 
traitors!"  Spit  the  spy  as  you  would  a  dog!  Charge 
through  them,  my  bullies ;  a  halbert  to  the  hero  who  shall 
reach  his  heart." 

"Avast,  ye  lubbers!"  returned  the  stanch  Richard. 
"  Here  are  a  white  man  and  a  nigger  at  your  service,  if 
you've  need  of  a  spit." 

"Two  more  of  the  gang!"  continued  the  general,  aiming 
a  blow  that  threatened  to  immolate  the  topman,  as  he  spoke. 

A  dark,  half-naked  form  was  interposed  to  receive  the 
descending  blade,  which  fell  on  the  staff  of  a  half-pike, 
severing  it  as  if  it  were  a  reed.  Nothing  daunted  by  the 
defenceless  state  in  which  he  found  himself,  Scipio  made 
his  way  to  the  front  of  Wilder,  where  with  a  body  divested 


THE  RED  ROVER.  467 

to  the  waist  of  every  garment,  and  empty-handed,  he  fought 
with  his  brawny  arms,  like  one  who  despised  the  cuts, 
thrusts,  and  assaults,  of  which  his  athletic  frame  became 
the  helpless  subject. 

"Give  it  to 'em,  right  and  left,  Guinea,"  cried  Fid;  "here 
is  one  who  will  come  in  as  a  backer,  as  soon  as  he  has 
stopped  the  grog  of  the  marine."  . 

The  parries  and  science  of  the  unfortunate  general  were 
at  this  moment  set  at  naught  by  a  blow  from  Richard,  which 
broke  down  all  his  defences,  descending  through  cap  and 
skull  to  the  jaw. 

"Hold,  murderers!"  cried  Wilder,  who  saw  the  number- 
less blows  that  were  falling  on  the  defenceless  body  of  the 
still  undaunted  black.  "  Strike  here!  but  spare  an  unarmed 
man !" 

The  sight  of  our  adventurer  became  confused,  for  he  saw 
the  negro  fall,  dragging  with  him  to  the  deck  two  of  his 
assailants;  and  then  a  voice  deep  as  the  emotion  which 
such  a  scene  might  create,  uttered  in  the  very  portals  of  his 
ear: 

"  Our  work  is  done !  He  that  strikes  another  blow  makes 
an  enemy  of  me." 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 

Take  him  hence  ! 

The  whole  world  shall  not  save  him. 

Cymbeline. 

THE  recent  gust  had  not  passed  more  fearfully  and  sud- 
denly over  the  ship  than  the  scene  just  related;  but  the 
smiling  aspect  of  the  tranquil  sky  and  the  bright  sun  of  a 
Caribbean  sea  found  no  parallel  in  the  horrors  that  suc- 
ceeded the  combat.  The  momentary  confusion  which  ac- 
companied the  fall  of  Scipio  soon  disappeared,  and  Wilder 
was  left  to  gaze  on  the  wreck  of  all  the  boasted  powers  of 
his  cruiser,  and  on  that  waste  of  human  life  which  had 


468  THE    RED    ROVER. 

been  the  attendants  of  the  struggle.  The  former  has  already 
been  sufficiently  described;  but  a  short  account  of  the  pres- 
ent state  of  the  actors  may  serve  to  elucidate  the  events 
that  are  to  follow. 

Within  a  few  yards  of  the  place  he  was  permitted  to  oc- 
cupy himself,  stood  the  motionless  form  of  the  Rover.  A 
second  glance  was  necessary,  however,  to  recognize,  in  the 
grim  visage  to  which  the  boarding-cap  already  mentioned 
lent  a  look  of  artificial  ferocity,  the  usually  bland  counte- 
nance of  the  man.  As  the  eye  of  Wilder  roamed  over  the 
swelling,  erect,  and  triumphant  figure,  it  was  difficult  not  to 
fancy  that  even  the  stature  had  been  suddenly  and  unac- 
countably increased.  One  hand  rested  on  the  hilt  of  a 
yataghan,  which,  by  the  crimson  drops  that  flowed  along  its 
curved  blade,  had  evidently  done  fatal  service  in  the  fray; 
and  one  foot  was  placed,  seemingly  with  supernatural 
weight,  on  that  national  emblem  which  it  had  been  his  pride 
to  lower.  His  eye  was  wandering  sternly,  but  understand- 
ing^) over  the  scene,  though  he  spoke  not,  nor  in  any  other 
manner  betrayed  the  deep  interest  he  felt  in  the  past.  At 
his  side,  and  nearly  within  the  circle  of  his  arm,  stood  the 
cowering  form  of  the  boy  Roderick,  unprovided  with  weapon, 
his  garments  sprinkled  with  blood,  his  eye  contracted,  wild, 
and  fearful,  and  his  face  pallid  as  those  in  whom  the  tide 
of  life  had  just  ceased  to  circulate. 

Here  and  there  were  to  be  seen  the  wounded  captives,  still 
sullen  and  unconquered  in  spirit,  while  many  of  their  less 
fortunate  enemies  lay  in  their  blood,  around  the  deck,  with 
such  gleamings  of  ferocity  on  their  countenances  as  plainly 
denoted  that  the  current  of  their  meditations  was  still  run- 
ning on  vengeance.  The  uninjured  and  the  slightly  wounded 
of  both  bands  were  already  pursuing  their  different  objects 
of  plunder  or  of  secretion. 

But  so  thorough  was  the  discipline  established  by  the 
leader  of  the  freebooters,  so  absolute  his  power,  that  a  blow 
had  not  been  struck,  or  blood  drawn,  since  the  moment  his 


THE   RED    ROVER.  469 

prohibitory  mandate  was  heard.  There  had  been  enough  of 
destruction,  however,  to  satisfy  the  most  gluttonous  long- 
ings, had  human  life  been  the  sole  object  of  the  assault. 
Wilder  felt  many  a  pang,  as  the  marble-like  features  of 
some  humble  friend  or  faithful  servitor  came,  one  after 
another,  under  his  recognition;  but  the  shock  was  the 
greatest  when  his  eye  fell  upon  the  .rigid  and  still  frowning 
countenance  of  his  veteran  commander. 

"Captain  Heidegger,"  he  said,  struggling  to  maintain  the 
fortitude  which  became  the  moment;  " the  fortune  of  the 
day  is  yours;  I  ask  mercy  and  kindness  for  the  survivors." 

"  They  shall  be  granted  to  those  who,  of  right,  may  claim 
them :  I  hope  it  may  be  found  that  all  are  included  in  this 
promise." 

The  voice  of  the  Rover  was  solemn  and  full  of  meaning: 
it  appeared  to  convey  more  than  the  simple  import  of  the 
words.  Wilder  might  have  mused  long  and  vainly,  how- 
ever, on  the  equivocal  manner  in  which  he  had  been  an- 
swered, had  not  the  approach  of  a  body  of  the  hostile  crew, 
among  whom  he  instantly  recognized  the  most  prominent 
of  the  late  mutineers  of  the  Dolphin,  speedily  supplied  the 
hidden  meaning  of  their  leader. 

"We  claim  the  execution  of  our  ancient  laws!"  com- 
menced the  foremost  of  the  gang,  addressing  his  chief  with  a 
brevity  and  fierceness  which  the  late  combat  might  have 
generated,  if  not  excused. 

"What  would  you  have?" 

"The  lives  of  traitors!"  was  the  sullen  answer. 

"  You  know  the  conditions  of  our  service.  If  any  such 
are  in  our  power,  let  them  meet  their  fate." 

Had  any  doubt  remained  in  the  mind  of  Wilder  as  to  the 
meaning  of  these  terrible  claimants  of  justice,  it  would 
have  vanished  at  the  manner  with  which  he  and  his  two 
companions  were  immediately  dragged  before  the  lawless 
chief.  Though  the  love  of  life  was  strong  and  active  in  his 
breast,  it  was  not,  even  in  that  fearful  moment,  exhibited 


47O  THE    RED    ROVER. 

in  a  deprecating  or  unmanly  form.  Not  for  an  instant  did 
his  mind  waver,  or  his  thoughts  wander  to  any  subterfuge 
that  might  prove  unworthy  of  his  profession  or  of  his  for- 
mer character.  One  anxious,  inquiring  look  was  fastened 
on  the  eye  of  him  whose  power  alone  could  save  him.  He 
witnessed  the  short,  severe  struggle  that  softened  the  rigid 
muscles  of  the  Rover's  countenance ;  and  then  he  saw  the 
instant  cold  and  calm  composure  which  settled  on  every 
one  of  his  disciplined  lineaments.  He  knew,  at  once,  that 
the  feelings  of  the  man  were  smothered  in  the  duty  of  the 
chief,  and  more  was  unnecessary  to  teach  him  the  hopeless- 
ness of  his  condition.  Scorning  to  render  his  state  degrad- 
ing by  useless  remonstrances,  the  youth  remained  where  his 
accusers  had  seen  fit  to  place  him — firm,  motionless,  and 
silent. 

"What  would  ye  have?"  the  Rover  at  length  asked,  in  a 
voice  that  even  his  iron  nerves  scarce  rendered  deep  and 
full-toned  as  common.  "What  ask  ye?" 

"Their  lives!" 

"I  understand  you:  go;  they  are  at  your  mercy." 

Notwithstanding  the  horrors  of  the  scene  through  which 
he  had  just  passed,  and  that  high  excitement  which  had 
sustained  him  through  the  fight,  the  deliberate,  solemn 
tones  with  which  his  judge  delivered  a  sentence  that  he 
knew  consigned  him  to  a.  hasty  and  ignominious  death, 
shook  the  frame  of  our  adventurer  nearly  to  insensibility. 
The  blood  recoiled  backward  to  his  heart,  and  the  sicken- 
ing sensation  that  beset  his  brain  threatened  to  upset  his 
reason.  But  the  shock  passed,  on  the  instant,  leaving  him 
erect,  and  seemingly  firm  as  ever,  and  certainly  with  no 
evidence  of  mortal  weakness  that  human  eye  could  discover. 

"  For  myself  nothing  is  demanded,"  he  said,  with  admira- 
ble steadiness.  "  I  know  your  self-enacted  laws  condemn 
me  to  a  miserable  fate;  but  for  these  ignorant,  confiding, 
faithful  followers,  I  claim,  nay,  beg,  entreat,  implore  your 
mercy;  they  knew  not  what  they  did,  and ' 


THE  RED  ROVER.  471 

"Speak  to  these!"  said  the  Rover,  pointing,  with  an 
averted  eye,  to  the  fierce  knot  by  which  he  was  sur- 
rounded: "these  are  your  judges,  and  the  sole  ministers 
of  mercy." 

Strong  and  nearly  unconquerable  disgust  was  apparent  in 
the  manner  of  the  youth;  with  a  mighty  effort  he  subdued 
it,  and  turning  to  the  crew,  continued : 

"  Then  even  to  these  will  I  humble  myself  in  petitions. 
Ye  are  men,  and  ye  are  mariners " 

"Away  with  him!"  exclaimed  the  croaking  Nightingale; 
"he  preaches!  Away  with  him  to  the  yard-arm! — away!" 

The  shrill,  long-drawn  winding  of  the  call  which  the 
callous  boatswain  sounded  in  mockery,  was  answered  by  an 
echo  from  twenty  voices,  in  which  the  accents  of  nearly  as 
many  different  people  mingled  in  hoarse  discordancy,  each 
shouting  in  turn : 

*'To  the  yard-arm!     Away  with  the  three! — away!" 

Wilder  made  a  last  appeal  to  the  Rover  with  his  eye,  but 
he  met  no  look  in  return,  the  face  of  the  other  being  inten- 
tionally averted.  With  a  burning  brain,  he  felt  himself 
rudely  transferred  from  the  quarter-deck  into  the  centre  and 
less  privileged  portion  of  the  ship.  The  violence  of  the 
passage,  the  hurried  reeving  of  cords,  and  all  the  fearful 
preparations  of  a  nautical  execution,  appeared  but  the  busi- 
ness of  a  moment,  to  one  who  stood  so  near  the  verge  of 
time. 

"A  yellow  flag  for  punishment!"  bawled  the  revengeful 
captain  of  the  forecastle;  "  let  the  gentleman  sail  on  his 
last  cruise  under  the  rogue's  ensign!" 

"A  yellow  flag!  a  yellow  flag!"  echoed  twenty  brawling 
throats.  "  Down  with  the  Rover's  ensign,  and  up  with  the 
colors  of  the  prevot-marshal !  A  yellow  flag!  a  yellow 
flag!" 

The  hoarse  laughter,  and  mocking  merriment,  with  which 
this  coarse  device  was  received,  stirred  the  ire  of  Fid,  who 
had  submitted  in  silence  so  far  to  the  rude  treatment  he 


472  THE  RED  ROVER. 

received,  for  no  other  reason  than  he  thought  his  superior 
was  the  best  qualified  to  utter  the  little  which  it  might  be 
necessary  to  say. 

"Avast,  ye  villains!"  he  hotly  exclaimed,  prudence  and 
moderation  losing  their  influence  under  the  excitement  of 
anger:  "ye  cutthroat,  lubberly  villains!  That  ye  are  vil- 
lains, is  to  be  proved  in  your  teeth,  by  your  getting  your 
sailing  orders  from  the  devil;  and  that  ye  are  lubbers,  any 
man  may  see  by  the  fashion  in  which  you  have  rove  this 
cord  about  my  throat.  A  fine  jam  will  ye  make  with  a  turn 
in  your  whip!  But  ye'll  all  come  to  know  how  a  man  is  to 
be  decently  hanged,  ye  rogues,  ye  will.  Ye'll  all  come 
honestly  by  the  knowledge,  in  your  day,  ye  will !" 

"  Clear  the  turn  and  run  him  up!"  shouted  one,  two,  three 
voices,  in  hurried  succession;  "a  clear  whip,  and  a  swift 
run  to  heaven!" 

Happily,  a  fresh  burst  of  riotous  clamor  from  one  of  the 
hatchways  interrupted  the  intention ;  and  then  was  heard 
the  cry  of : 

"A  priest!  a  priest!  Pipe  the  rogues  to  prayers,  before 
they  take  their  dance  on  nothing!" 

The  ferocious  laughter,  with  which  the  freebooters  re- 
ceived this  sneering  proposal,  was  hushed  as  suddenly  as  if 
One  answered  to  their  mockery  from  that  mercy-seat  whose 
power  they  so  sacrilegiously  braved.  A  deep,  menacing 
voice  was  heard  in  their  midst,  saying: 

"  By  Heaven,  if  touch,  or  look,  be  laid  too  boldly  on 
prisoner  in  this  ship,  he  who  offends  had  better  beg  the  fate 
ye  give  these  miserable  men,  than  meet  my  anger.  Stand 
off,  I  bid  you,  and  let  the  chaplain  approach !" 

Every  bold  hand  was  instantly  withdrawn,  and  each  pro- 
fane lip  was  closed  in  trembling  silence,  giving  the  terrified 
and  horror-stricken  subject  of  their  liberties  room  and  op- 
portunity to  advance  to  the  scene  of  punishment. 

"  See,"  said  the  Rover,  calmly,  but  still  with  authority, 
"you  are  a  minister  of  God,  and  your  office  is  sacred 


THE    RED    ROVER.  473 

charity.  If  you  have  aught  to  smooth  the  dying  moment  to 
fellow  mortal,  haste  to  impart  it!" 

"In  what  have  these  offended?"  demanded  the  divine, 
when  power  was  given  to  speak. 

"  No  matter;  it  is  enough  that  their  hour  is  near!  If  you 
would  lift  your  voice  in  prayer,  fear  nothing.  The  unusual 
sounds  shall  be  welcome  even  here.  Ay,  and  these  mis- 
creants, who  so  boldly  surround  you,  shall  kneel,  and  be 
mute,  as  beings  whose  souls  are  touched  by  the  holy  rite. 
Scoffers  shall  be  dumb,  and  unbelievers  respectful,  at  my 
beck.  Speak  freely!" 

"Scourge  of  the  seas!"  commenced  the  chaplain,  across 
whose  pallid  features  a  flash  of  holy  excitement  cast  its 
glow,  " remorseless  violator  of  the  laws  of  man!  audacious 
contemner  of  the  mandates  of  your  God !  a  fearful  retribu- 
tion shall  avenge  this  crime.  Is  it  not  enough  that  you  have 
this  day  consigned  so  many  to  a  sudden  end,  but  your 
vengeance  might  be  gluttered  with  more  blood?  Beware  the 
hour  when  these  things  shall  be  visited,  in  almighty  power, 
on  your  own  devoted  head!" 

"  Look!''  said  the  Rover,  smiling,  but  with  an  expression 
that  was  haggard,  in  spite  of  the  unnatural  exultation 
that  struggled  about  his  quivering  lip;  "here  are  the 
evidences  of  the  manner  in  which  Heaven  protects  the 
right!" 

"  Though  its  awful  justice  be  hidden  in  inscrutable  wis- 
dom fora  time,  deceive  not  thyself ;  the  hour  is  at  hand 
when  it  shall  be  seen  and  felt  in  majesty!"  The  voice  of 
the  chaplain  became  suddenly  choked;  for  his  wandering 
eye  had  fallen  on  the  frowning  countenance  of  Bignall, 
which,  set  in  death,  lay  but  half  concealed  beneath  a  flag 
which  the  Rover  himself  has  cast  upon  the  body.  Then 
summoning  his  energies,  he  continued  in  the  clear  and 
admonitory  strain  that  befitted  his  sacred  calling:  "They 
tell  me  you  are  but  half  lost  to  feeling  for  your  kind; 
arid  though  the  seeds  of  better  principles,  of  better  days,  are 


THE   kED   ROVER. 

smothered  in  your  heart,  that  they  still  exist,  and  might  be 
quickened  into  goodly — 

"  Peace !  You  speak  in  vain.  To  your  duty  with  these 
men,  or  be  silent." 

"  Is  their  doom  sealed?" 

"It  is." 

"Who  says  it?"  demanded  a  low  voice  at  the  elbow  of 
the  Rover,  which,  coming  upon  his  ear  at  that  moment, 
thrilled  upon  his  most  latent  nerve,  chasing  the  blood  from 
his  cheek  to  the  secret  recesses  of  his  frame.  But  the  weak- 
ness passed  away  with  the  surprise,  and  he  calmly,  and  al- 
most instantly,  answered: 

"The  law." 

"The  law!"  repeated  the  governess.  "Can  they  who  set 
all  order  at  defiance,  who  despise  each  human  regulation, 
talk  of  law?  Say  it  is  heartless,  vindictive  vengeance,  if  you 
will ;  but  call  it  not  by  the  sacred  name  of  law. — I  wander 
from  my  object!  They  have  told  me  of  this  frightful  scene, 
and  I  am  come  to  offer  ransom  for  the  offenders.  Name 
your  price,  and  let  it  be  worthy  of  the  subject  we  redeem ;  a 
grateful  parent  shall  freely  give  it  all  for  the  preserver  of  his 
child." 

"  If  gold  will  purchase  the  lives  you  wish,"  the  other  in- 
terrupted, with  the  swiftness  of  thought,  "  it  is  here  in 
hoards,  and  ready  on  the  moment.  What  say  my  people  ? 
Will  they  take  ransom?" 

A  brooding  pause  succeeded;  and  then  a  low,  ominous 
murmur  was  raised  in  the  throng,  announcing  their  reluc- 
tance to  dispense  with  vengeance.  The  glowing  eye  of  the 
Rover  scanned  the  fierce  countenances  by  which  he  was 
environed;  his  lips  moved  with  vehemence;  but,  disdain- 
ing further  intercession,  nothing  was  uttered  for  the  ear. 
Turning  to  the  divine,  he  added,  with  the  forced  composure 
of  his  wonderful  manner: 

"  Forget  not  your  sacred  office — time  is  leaving  us."  He 
was  then  moving  slowly  aside,  in  imitation  of  the  governess, 


THE    RED    ROVER.  4/5 

who  had  already  veiled  her  features  from  the  revolting 
scene,  when  Wilder  addressed  him : 

"  For  the  service  you  have  done  me,  from  my  soul  I 
thank  you,"  he  said.  "  If  you  would  know  that  I  leave 
you  in  peace,  give  me  yet  one  solemn  assurance  before 
I  die." 

"To  what?" 

"  Promise,  that  they  who  came  with  me  into  your  ship 
shall  leave  it  unharmed,  and  speedily." 

"  Promise,  Walter,"  said  a  solemn,  smothered  voice  in 
the  throng. 

"  I  do." 

"  I  ask  no  more.  Now,  reverend  minister  of  God,  per- 
form thy  holy  office,  near  my  companions.  Their  ignorance 
may  profit  by  your  service.  If  I  quit  this  bright  and  glorious 
scene  without  thought  of,  and  gratitude  to,  that  Being  who, 
I  humbly  trust,  has  made  me  an  heritor  of  still  greater 
things,  I  offend  wittingly,  and  without  hope.  But  these 
may  find  consolation  in  your  prayers." 

Amid  an  awful  silence,  the  chaplain  approached  the  de- 
voted companions  of  Wilder.  Their  comparative  insig- 
nificance had  left  them  unobserved  during  most  of  the  fore- 
going scene ;  and  material  changes  had  occurred,  unheeded, 
in  their  situation.  Fid  was  seated  on  the  deck,  his  collar 
unbuttoned,  his  neck  encircled  with  the  cord  sustaining  the 
head  of  the  nearly  helpless  black,  which  he  had  placed, 
with  singular  tenderness  and  care,  in  his  lap. 

"This  man,  at  least,  will  disappoint  the  malice  of  his 
enemies,"  said  the  divine,  taking  the  hard  hand  of  the 
negro  into  his  own :  "  the  termination  of  his  wrongs  and  his 
degradation  approaches;  he  will  soon  be  far  beyond  the 
reach  of  human  injustice.  Friend,  by  what  name  is  your 
companion  known?" 

"  It  is  little  matter  how  you  hail  a  dying  man,"  returned 
Richard,  with  a  melancholy  shake  of  the  head.  "  He  has 
commonly  been  entered  on  the  ship's  books  as  Scipiq 


4/6  THE   RED    ROVER. 

Africa,  coming,  as  he  did,  from  the  coast  of  Guinea;  but,  if 
you  call  him  S'ip,  he  will  not  be  slow  to  understand." 

"Has  he  known  baptism?     Is  he  a  Christian?" 

"  If  he  be  not,  I  don't  know  who  the  devil  is!"  responded 
Richard,  with  an  asperity  that  might  be  deemed  a  little  un- 
seasonable. "A  man  who  serves  his  country,  is  true  to  his 
messmate,  and  has  no  skulk  about  him,  I  call  a  saint,  so 
far  as  mere  religion  goes.  I  say,  Guinea,  my  hearty,  give 
the  chaplain  a  grip  of  the  fist,  if  your  call  yourself  a  Chris- 
tian. A  Spanish  windlass  would  not  give  a  stronger  screw 
than  the  knuckles  of  that  nigger  an  hour  ago;  and,  now,  you 
see  to  what  a  giant  may  be  brought!" 

"His  latter  moment  is,  indeed,  near.  Shall  I  offer  a 
prayer  for  the  health  of  the  departing  spirit?" 

"I  don't  know,  I  don't  know?"  answered  Fid,  gulping 
his  words,  and  uttering  a  hem,  that  was  still  deep  and 
powerful,  as  in  the  brightest  and  happiest  of  his  days. 
"When  there  is  so  little  time  given  to  a  poor  fellow  to 
speak  his  mind  in,  it  may  be  well  to  let  him  have  a  chance 
to  do  most  of  the  talking.  Something  may  come  uppermost, 
which  he  would  like  to  send  to  his  friends  in  Africa;  in 
which  case  we  may  as  well  be  looking  out  for  a  proper 
messenger.  Hah!  what  is  it,  boy?  You  see  he  is  already 
trying  to  rouse  something  up  out  of  his  ideas." 

"  Misser  Fid — he'm  take  a  collar,"  said  the  black,  strug- 
gling for  utterance. 

"  Ay,  ay,"  returned  Richard,  again  clearing  his  throat, 
and  looking  to  the  right  and  left  fiercely,  seeking  some  ob- 
ject on  which  to  wreak  his  vengeance.  "Ay,  ay,  Guinea; 
put  your  mind  at  ease  on  that  point,  my  hearty,  and,  for  that 
matter,  on  all  others.  You  shall  have  a  grave  as  deep  as 
the  sea,  and  Christian  burial,  boy,  if  this  here  parson  will 
stand  by  his  work.  Any  small  message  you  may  have  for 
your  friends  shall  be  logg'd,  and  put  in  the  way  of  coming 
to  their  ears.  You  have  had  much  foul  weather  in  your 
time,  Guinea,  and  some  squalls  have  whistled  about  your 


THE    RED    ROVER.  477 

head  that  might  have  been  spared  mayhap,  had  your  color 
been  a  shade  or  two  lighter.  For  that  matter  it  may  be 
that  I  have  rode  you  down  a  little  too  close  myself,  boy, 
when  overheated  with  the  conceit  of  skin;  for  all  which  may 
the  Lord  forgive  me  as  freely  as  I  hope  you  will  do  the 
same  thing!" 

The  negro  made  a  fruitless  effort  to  rise,  endeavoring  to 
grasp  the  hand  of  the  other,  saying'as  he  did  so: 

"  Misser  Fid  beg  a  pardon  of  a  black  man !  Masser  aloft 
forget  he'm  all,  Misser  Richard;  he  t'ink  'em  no  more." 

"  It  will  be  what  I  call  a  d — d  generous  thing,  if  he 
does,"  returned  Richard,  whose  sorrow  and  whose  con- 
science had  stirred  up  his  uncouth  feelings  to  an  extraordi- 
nary degree.  "  There's  the  affair  of  slipping  off  the  wreck 
of  the  smuggler  has  never  been  properly  settled  atween  us, 
neither;  and  many  other  small  services  of  like  nature,  for 
which,  d'ye  see,  I'll  just  thank  you  while  there  is  an  oppor- 
tunity; for  no  one  can  say  whether  we  shall  ever  be  borne 
again  on  the  same  ship's  books." 

A  feeble  sign  from  his  companion  caused  the  topman  to 
pause,  while  he  endeavored  to  construe  its  meaning  as  well 
as  he  was  able.  With  a  facility,  that  was  in  some  degree 
owing  to  the  character  of  the  individual,  his  construction  of 
the  other's  meaning  was  favorable  to  himself,  as  was  quite 
evident  by  the  manner  in  which  he  resumed : 

"  Well,  well,  mayhap  we  may.  I  suppose  they  berth  the 
people  there  in  some  such  order  as  is  done  here  below,  in 
which  case  we  may  be  put  within  hailing  distance  after  all. 
Our  sailing  orders  are  both  signed;  though,  as  you  seem 
likely  to  slip  your  cable  before  these  thieves  are  ready  to 
run  me  up,  you  will  be  getting  the  best  of  the  wind.  I  shall 
not  say  much  concerning  any  signals  it  may  be  necessary  to 
show,  in  order  to  make  one  another  out  aloft,  taking  it  for 
granted  that  you  will  not  overlook  Master  Harry  on  account 
of  the  small  advantage  you  may  have  in  being  the  first  to 
shove  off,  intending  myself  to  keep  as  close  as  possible  in 


THE    RED    ROVER. 

his  wake,  which  will  give  me  the  twofold  advantage  of 
knowing  I  am  on  the  right  tack,  and  of  falling  in  with 
you." 

"These  are  evil  words,  and  fatal  alike  to  your  own  future 
peace  and  that  of  your  unfortunate  friend,"  interrupted  the 
divine.  "  His  reliance  must  be  placed  on  One,  different 
in  all  his  attributes  from  your  officer,  to  follow  whom,  or  to 
consult  whose  frail  conduct,  would  be  the  height  of  mad- 
ness. Place  your  faith  on  another ; 

"  If  I  do,  may  I  be " 

"Peace,"  said  Wilder;  "the  black  would  speak  to  me." 

Scipio  had  turned  his  looks  in  the  direction  of  his  officer, 
and  was  making  another  feeble  effort  towards  extending  his 
hand.  As  Wilder  placed  his  own  within  the  grasp  of  that 
of  the  dying  negro,  the  latter  succeeded  in  laying  it  on  his 
lips,  and  then,  flourishing  with  a  convulsive  movement  that 
Herculean  arm  which  he  had  so  lately  and  so  successfully 
brandished  in  defence  of  his  master,  the  limb  stiffened  and 
fell,  though  the  eyes  still  continued  their  affectionate '  and 
glaring  gaze  on  that  countenance  he  had  so  long  loved,  and 
which,  in  the  midst  of  all  his  long-endured  wrongs,  had 
never  refused  to  meet  his  look  of  love  in  kindness.  A  low 
murmur  followed  this  scene,  and  then  complaints  succeeded, 
in  a  louder  strain,  till  more  than  one  voice  was  heard,  openly 
muttering  its  discontent  that  vengeance  should  be  so  long 
delayed. 

"Away  with  them!"  shouted  an  ill-omened  voice  from 
the  throng.  "  Into  the  sea  with  the  carcass,  and  up  with  the 
living." 

"Avast!"  burst  out  of  the  chest  of  Fid,  with  an  awful- 
ness  and  depth  that  stayed  even  the  daring  movements  of 
that  lawless  moment.  "  Who  dare  to  cast  a  seaman  into 
the  brine,  with  the  dying  look  standing  in  his  lights,  and 
his  last  words  still  in  his  messmates'  ears?  Ha!  would  ye 
stopper  the  fins  of  a  man  as  ye  would  pin  a  lobster's  claw? 
That  for  your  fastenings  and  your  lubberly  knots  together!" 


THE    RED    ROVER.  4/9 

The  excited  topman  snapped  the  lines  by  which  his  elbows 
had  been  imperfectly  secured,  while  speaking,  and  imme- 
diately lashed  the  body  of  the  black  to  his.own,  though  his 
words  received  no  interruption  from  a  process  that  was  exe- 
cuted with  a  seaman's  dexterity.  "  Where  was  the  man  in 
your  lubberly  crew  that  could  lay  upon  a  yard  with  this 
here  black,  or  haul' upon  a  lee-earing  while  he  held  the 
weather-line?  Could  any  one  of  ye  'all  give  up  his  rations, 
in  order  that  a  sick  messmate  might  fare  the  better!  or 
work  a  double  tide  to  spare  the  weak  arm  of  a  friend? 
Show  me  one  who  had  as  little  dodge  under  fire  as  a  sound 
mainmast,  and  I  will  show  you  all  that  is  left  of  his  better. 
And  now  sway  upon  your  whip,  and  thank  God  that  the 
honest  end  goes  up,  while  the  rogues  are  suffered  to  keep 
their  footing  for  a  time." 

"Sway  away!"  echoed  Nightingale,  seconding  his  hoarse 
and  ominous  cry  by  the  winding  of  his  call ;  "  away  with 
them  to  heaven !" 

"Hold!"  exclaimed  the  chaplain,  happily  arresting  the 
cord  before  it  had  yet  done  its  fatal  office.  "  For  His  sake, 
whose  mercy  may  one  day  be  needed  by  the  most  hardened 
of  ye  all,  give  but  another  moment  of  time!  What  mean 
these  words!  Do  I  read  aright?  'Ark  of  Lynnhaven!'" 

"  Ay,  ay,"  said  Richard,  loosening  the  rope  a  little,  in 
order  to  speak  with  greater  freedom,  -and  transferring  the 
last  morsel  of  the  weed  from  his  box  to  his  mouth,  as  he 
answered ;  "  seeing  you  are  an  apt  scholar,  no  wonder  you 
make  it  out  so  easily,  though  written  by  a  hand  that  was 
always  better  with  a  marlingspike  than  a  quill." 

"  But  whence  came  the  words  ?  Why  do  you  bear  those 
names,  thus  written  indelibly  in  the  skin!  Patience,  men! 
monsters;  demons!  Would  ye  deprive  the  dying  man  of 
even  a  minute  of  that  precious  time  which  becomes  so  dear 
to  all,  as  life  is  leaving  us?" 

"Give  yet  another  minute  1"  said  p  deep  voice  from 
behind. 


480  THE    RED    ROVER. 

"Whence  come  these  words,  I  ask?"  again  the  chaplain 
demanded. 

"  They  are  neither  more  nor  less  than  the  manner  in 
which  a  circumstance  was  logged,  which  is  now  of  no  con- 
sequence, seeing  that  the  cruise  is  nearly  up  with  all  who 
are  chiefly  concerned.  The  black  spoke  of  the  collar;  but 
then,  he  thought  I  might  be  staying  in  port,  while  he  was 
drifting  between  heaven  and  earth  in  search  of  his  last 
moorings." 

"Is  there  aught,  here,  that  I  should  know?"  interrupted 
the  eager,  treirmlous  voice  of  Mrs.  Wyllys.  "Oh,  Merton! 
why  these  questions?  Has  my  yearning  been  prophetic? 
Does  nature  give  so  mysterious  a  warning  of  its  claim!" 

"Hush,  dearest  madam!  your  thoughts  wander  from 
probabilities,  and  my  faculties  become  confused. — 'The  Ark 
of  Lynnhaven'  was  the  name  of  an  estate  in  the  islands, 
belonging  to  a  near  and  dear  friend,  and  it  was  the  place 
where  I  received,  and  whence  I  sent  to  the  main  the  precious 
trust  confided  to  my  care.  But — 

"Say  on!"  she  exclaimed,  rushing  madly  in  front  of 
Wilder,  and  seizing  the  cord  which,  a  moment  before,  had 
been  tightened  nearly  to  his  destruction,  stripping  it  from 
his  throat  with  a  sort  of  supernatural  dexterity:  "  it  was  not 
then  the  name  of  a  ship?" 

"A  ship!  surely  not.  But  what  mean  these  hopes?— 
these  fears." 

"The  collar!  the  collar!  speak;  what  of  that  collar?" 

"  It  means  no  great  things,  now,  my  lady,"  returned  Fid, 
very  coolly  placing  himself  in  the  same  condition  as  Wil- 
der, by  profiting  by  the  liberty  of  his  arms,  and  loosening 
his  own  neck  from  the  halter,  notwithstanding  a  movement 
made  by  some  of  the  people  to  prevent  it,  which  was,  how- 
ever, stayed  by  a  look  from  their  leader's  eyes.  "  I  will 
first  cast  loose  this  here  rope;  seeing  that  it  is  neither 
decent,  nor  safe,  for  an  ignorant  man  like  me  to  enter  into 
such  unknown  navigation  ahead  of  his  officer.  The  collar 


THE    RED    ROVER.  481 

was  just  the  necklace  of  the  dog,  which  is  here  to  be  seen 
on  the  arm  of  poor  Guinea,  who  was,  in  most  respects,  a 
man  for  whose  equal  one  might  long  look  in  vain." 

"  Read  it,"  said  the  governess,  a  film  passing  before  her 
own  eyes;  "read  it,"  she  added,  motioning  with  a  quiver- 
ing hand  to  the  divine  to  peruse  the  inscription,  that  was 
distinctly  legible  on  the  plate  of  brass. 

"  Holy  Dispenser  of  good!  what  is  this  I  see?  'Neptune, 
the  property  of  Paul  de  LaceyP" 

Aloud  cry  burst  from  the  lips  of 'the  governess;  her 
hands  were  clasped  one  single  instant  upward,  in  that 
thanksgiving  which  oppressed  her  soul,  and  then,  as  recol- 
lection returned,  Wilder  was  pressed  fondly,  frantically  to 
her  bosom,  while  her  voice  was  heard  to  say,  in  the  pierc- 
ing tones  of  all-powerful  nature: 

"My  child!  my  child! — You  will  not — cannot — dare  net 
rob  a  long-stricken  and  bereaved  mother  of  her  offspring! 
Give  me  back  my  son,  my  noble  son!  and  I  will  weary 
Heaven  with  prayers  in  your  behalf.  Ye  are  brave,  and 
cannot  be  deaf  to  mercy.  Ye  are  men,  who  have  lived  in 
constant  view  of  God's  majesty,  and  will  not  refuse  to  listen 
to  this  evidence  of  his  pleasure.  Give  me  my  child,  and  I 
yield  all  else.  He  is  of  a  race  long  honored  upon  the  seas, 
and  no  mariner  will  be  deaf  to  his  claims.  The  widow  of 
De  Lacey,  the  daughter  of  -  — ,  cries  for  mercy.  Their 
united  blood  is  in  his  veins,  and  it  will  not  be  spilt  by 
you !  A  mother  bows  herself  to  the  dust  before  you,  to  ask 
mercy  for  her  offspring.  Oh !  give  me  my  child !  my  child !" 

As  the  words  of  the  petitioner  died  upon  the  ear,  a  still- 
ness settled  on  the  place  that  might  have  been  likened  to 
the  holy  calm  which  the  entrance  of  better  feelings  leaves 
upon  the  soul  of  the  sinner.  The  grim  freebooters  regarded 
each  other  in  doubt;  the  workings  of  nature  manifesting 
themselves  even  in  their  stern  and  hardened  visages.  Still, 
the  desire  for  vengeance  had  got  too  firm  a  hold  of  their 
minds  to  be  dispossessed  at  a  word.  The  result  would 


482  THE    RED    ROVER. 

have  been  doubtful,  had  not  one  suddenly  reappeared  in 
their  midst  who  never  ordered  in  vain ;  and  who  knew  how 
to  guide,  to  quell,  or  to  mount  and  trample  on  their  humors, 
as  his  own  pleasure  dictated.  For  half  a  minute,  he  looked 
around  him,  his  eye  still  following  the  circle,  which 
receded  as  he  gazed,  until  even  those  longest  accustomed 
to  yield  to  his  will  began  to  wonder  at  the  extraordinary 
aspect  in  which  it  was  now  exhibited.  The  gaze  was  wild 
and  bewildered;  and  the  face  pallid  as  that  of  the  petition- 
ing mother.  Three  times  did  the  lips  sever,  before  sound 
issued  from  the  caverns  of  his  chest;  then  arose  on  the 
attentive  ears  of  the  breathless  and  listening  crowd  a  voice 
that  seemed  equally  charged  with  inward  emotion  and  high 
authority.  With  a  haughty  gesture  of  the  hand,  and  a  man- 
ner that  was  too  well  understood  to  be  mistaken,  he  said: 

"Disperse!     Ye   know   my   justice;  but  ye  know  I  will 
be  obeyed.     My  pleasure  shall  be  known  to-morrow." 


CHAPTER    XXXII. 

This  is  he  ; 

Who  hath  upon  him  still  that  natural  stamp: 
It  was  wise  nature's  end  in  the  donation. 
To  be  his  evidence  now. 

Shakespeare. 

THAT  morrow  came,  and  with  it  an  entire  change  in  the 
scene  and  character  of  our  tale.  The  Dolphin  and  the  Dart 
were  sailing  in  amity,  side  by  side;  the  latter  again  bear- 
ing the  ensign  of  England,  and  the  former  carrying  a  naked 
gaff.  The  injuries  of  the  gust  and  the  combat  had  so  far 
been  repaired  that,  to  a  common  eye,  each  gallant  vessel 
was  again  prepared  equally  to  encounter  the  hazards  of  the 
ocean  or  of  warfare.  A  long,  blue,  hazy  streak,  to  the 
north,  proclaimed  the  proximity  of  the  land;  and  some 
three  or  four  light  coasters  of  that  region,  which  were  sail- 


THE    RED    ROVER.  483 

ing  nigh,  announced  how  little  hostility  existed  in  the  pres- 
ent purposes  of  the  freebooters. 

What  those  designs  were,  however,  still  remained  a  seciet 
buried  in  the  bosom  of  the  Rover  alone.  Doubt,  wonder, 
and  distrust  were,  each  in  its  turn,  to  be  traced  in  the 
features  of  his  captives,  and  in  those  of  his  own  crew, 
Throughout  the  whole  of  the  long  night  which  had  suc- 
ceeded the  events  of  the  important  day  just  past,  he  had 
been  pacing  the  poop  in  brooding  silence.  The  little  he 
had  uttered  was  merely  to  direct  the  movements  of  the  ves- 
sels; and  when  any  ventured,  with  other  design,  to  ap- 
proach his  person,  a  sign,  that  none  there  dared  disregard, 
secured  him  the  solitude  he  wished.  Once  or  twice,  indeed, 
the  boy  Roderick  was  seen  hovering  at  his  elbow,  but  it 
was  as  a  guardian  spirit  would  be  fancied  to  linger  near 
the  object  of  its  care,  unobtrusively,  and,  as  it  might  al- 
most be  added,  invisible.  When,  however,  the  sun  came 
burnished  and  glorious  out  of  the  waters  of  the  east,  a  gun 
was  fired,  to  bring  a  coaster  to  the  side  of  the  Dolphin ; 
and  then  it  seemed  that  the  curtain  was  to  be  raised  on  the 
closing  scene  of  the  drama.  With  his  crew  assembled  on 
the  deck  beneath,  and  the  principal  personages  among  his 
captives  beside  him  on  the  poop,  the  Rover  addressed  the 
former : 

"  Years  have  united  us  by  a  common  fortune,"  he  said : 
"  we  have  long  been  submissive  to  the  same  laws.  If  I 
have  been  prompt  to  punish,  I  have  been  ready  to  obey. 
You  cannot  charge  me  with  injustice.  But  the  covenant  is 
now  ended.  I  take  back  my  pledge,  and  I  return  you  your 
faiths.  Nay,  frown  not — hesitate  not — murmur  not!  The 
compact  ceases,  and  our  laws  are  ended.  Such  was  the  con- 
dition of  the  service.  I  give  you  your  liberty,  and  little  do 
I  claim  in  return.  That  you  need  have  no  grounds  of  re- 
proach, I  bestow  my  treasure.  See,"  he  added,  raising  that 
bloody  ensign  with  which  he  had  so  often  braved  the  power 
of  the  nations,  and  exhibiting  beneath  it  sacks  of  that 


484  THE    RED    ROVER. 

metal  which  has  so  long  governed  the  world ;  "  see !  This 
was  mine:  it  is  now  yours.  It  shall  be  put  in  yonder 
coaster;  there  I  leave  you,  to  bestow  it  yourselves  on  those 
you  may  deem  most  worthy.  Go :  the  land  is  near.  Dis- 
perse, for  your  own  sakes:  nor  hesitate;  for,  without  me, 
well  ye  know  that  vessel  of  the  king  would  be  your  master. 
The  ship  is  already  mine;  of  all  the  rest,  I  claim  these 
prisoners  alone  for  my  portion.  Farewell!' 

Silent  amazement  succeeded  this  unlooked-for  address. 
There  was,  indeed,  for  a  moment,  some  disposition  to  rebel ; 
but  the  measures  of  the  Rover  had  been  too  well  taken  for 
resistance.  The  Dart  lay  on  their  beam,  with  her  people  at 
their  guns,  matches  lighted,  and  a  heavy  battery.  Unpre- 
pared, without  a  leader,  and  surprised,  opposition  would 
have  been  madness.  The  first  astonishment  had  scarce 
abated,  before  each  freebooter  rushed  to  secure  his  indi- 
vidual effects,  and  to  transfer  them  to  the  deck  of  the 
coaster.  When  all  but  the  crew  of  a  single  boat  had  left 
the  Dolphin,  the  promised  gold  was  sent,  and  then  the 
loaded  craft  was  seen  hastily  seeking  the  shelter  of  some 
secret  creek.  During  this  scene,  the  Rover  had  been  silent 
as  death.  He  next  turned  to  Wilder;  and  making  a  mighty 
but  successful  effort  to  still  his  feelings,  he  added: 

"  Now  must  we,  too,  part.  I  commend  my  wounded  to 
your  care.  They  are  necessarily  with  your,  surgeons.  I 
know  the  trust  I  give  you  will  not  be  abused." 

"  My  word  is  the  pledge  of  their  safety,"  returned  the 
young  De  Lacey. 

"  I  believe  you. — Lady,"  he  added,  approaching  the  elder 
of  the  females,  with  an  air  in  which  earnestness  and  hesita- 
tion strongly  contended,  "  if  a  proscribed  and  guilty  man 
may  still  address  you,  grant  yet  a  favor." 

"Name  it:  a  mother's  ear  can  never  be  deaf  to  him  who 
has  spared  her  child." 

"  When  you  petition  Heaven  for  that  child,  forget  not 
there  is  another  being  who  may  still  profit  by  your  prayers : 


THE   RED    ROVER.  485 

no  more. — And  now,"  he  continued,  looking  about  him 
like  one  who  was  determined  to  be  equal  to  the  pang  of  the 
moment,  however  difficult  it  might  prove,  and  surveying 
with  an  eye  of  painful  regret  those  naked  decks  which 
were  so  lately  teeming  with  scenes  of  life  and  revelry;  "  and 
now — ay — now  we  part!  The  boat  awaits  you." 

Wilder  soon  saw  his  mother  and  Gertrude  into  the  pin- 
nace; but  he  still  lingered  himself. 

"  And  you!"  he  said,  "what  will  become  of  you?" 

"I  shall  shortly  be— forgotten. — Adieu!" 

The  manner  in  which  the  Rover  spoke  forbade  delay. 
The  young  man  hesitated,  squeezed  his  hand,  and  left  him. 

When  Wilder  found  himself  restored  to  his  proper  vessel, 
of  which  the  death  of  Bignall  had  left  him  in  command,  he 
immediately  issued  the  order  to  fill  her  sails,  and  to  steer 
for  the  nearest  haven  of  his  country.  So  long  as  sight 
could  read  the  movements  of  the  man  who  remained  on  the 
decks  of  the  Dolphin,  not  a  look  was  averted  from  the  mo- 
tionless object.  She  lay,  with  her  main-topsail  to  the  mast, 
stationary  as  some  beautiful  fabric  placed  there  by  fairy 
power,  still  lovely  in  her  proportions,  and  perfect  in  all 
her  parts.  A  human  form  was  seen  swiftly  pacing  her  poop, 
and  by  its  side  glided  one  who  looked  like  a  lessened 
shadow  of  that  restless  figure.  At  length  distance  swal- 
lowed these  indistinct  images;  and  then  the  eye  was 
wearied,  in  vain,  to  trace  the  internal  movements  of  the 
distant  ship.  But  doubt  was  soon  ended.  Suddenly  a 
streak  of  flame  flashed  from  her  decks,  springing  fiercely 
from  sail  to  sail.  A  vast  cloud  of  smoke  broke  out  of  the 
hull,  and  the  deadened  roar  of  artillery  followed.  To  this 
succeeded,  for  a  time,  the  awful,  and  yet  attractive  spectacle 
of  a  burning  ship.  The  whole  was  terminated  by  an  im- 
mense canopy  of  smoke,  and  an  explosion  that  caused  the 
sails  of  the  distant  Dart  to  waver,  as  if  the  winds  of  the 
trades  were  deserting  their  eternal  direction.  When  the 
cloud  had  lifted  from  the  ocean,  an  empty  waste  of  water 


^8  THE    RED    ROVER. 

was  seen  beneath;  and  none  might  mark  the  spot  where 
that  beautiful  specimen  of  human  ingenuity  had  so  lately 
floated.  Some  of  those  who  ascended  to  the  upper  masts  of 
the  cruiser,  and  were  aided  by  glasses,  believed,  indeed, 
that  they  could  discern  a  solitary  speck  upon  the  sea;  but 
whether  it  was  a  boat,  or  some  fragment  of  the  wreck,  was 
never  known. 

From  that  time,  the  history  of  the  dreaded  Red  Rover 
became  lost  in  the  fresher  incidents  of  those  eventful  seas. 
But  the  mariner,  long  after,  was  known  to  shorten  the 
watches  of  the  night  by  recounting  scenes  of  mad  enterprise 
that  were  thought  to  have  occurred  under  his  auspices. 
Rumor  did  not  fail  to  embellish  and  pervert  them,  until  the 
real  character  and  even  the  name  of  the  individual  were 
confounded  with  the  actors  of  other  atrocities.  Scenes  of 
higher  and  more  ennobling  interest,  too,  were  occurring  on 
the  Western  Continent,  to  efface  the  circumstances  of  a 
legend  that  many  deemed  wild  and  improbable.  The  British 
colonies  of  North  America  had  revolted  against  the  govern- 
ment of  the  crown,  and  a  weary  war  was  bringing  the  con- 
test to  a  successful  issue.  Newport,  the  opening  scene  of 
this  tale,  had  been  successively  occupied  by  the  arms  of  the 
king  and  by  those  of  that  monarch  who  had  sent  the 
chivalry  of  his  nation  to  the  aid  in  stripping  his  rival  of  her 
vast  possessions. 

The  beautiful  haven  had  sheltered  hostile  fleets,  and  the 
peaceful  villas  had  often  rung  with  the  merriment  of  youth 
ful  soldiers.  More  than  twenty  years  after  the  events  just 
related  had  been  added  to  long  record  of  time,  when  the 
island  town  witnessed  the  rejoicings  of  another  festival :  the 
allied  forces  had  compelled  the  most  enterprising  leader  of 
the  British  troops  to  yield  himself  and  army  captive  to  their 
numbers  and  skill.  The  struggle  was  believed  to  be  over, 
and  the  worthy  townsmen  had,  as  usual,  been  loud  in  the 
manifestations  of  their  pleasure.  The  rejoicings,  however, 
ceased  with  the  day;  and  as  night  gathered  over  the 


THE   RED   ROVER.  48? 

place  the  little  city  was  resuming  its  customary  provincial 
tranquillity.  A  gallant  frigate,  which  lay  in  the  very  spot 
where  the  vessel  of  the  Rover  had  first  been  seen,  had  al- 
ready lowered  the  gay  assemblage  of  friendly  ensigns  which 
had  been  spread  in  the  usual  order  of  a  gala-day.  A  flag 
of  intermingled  colors,  and  bearing  a  constellation  of  bright 
and  rising  stars,  alone  was  floating  at  her  gaff.  Just  at  this 
moment,  another  cruiser,  but  one  of  less  magnitude,  was 
seen  entering  the  roadstead,  bearing  also  the  friendly  en- 
sign of  the  new  States.  Headed  by  the  tide,  and  deserted 
by  the  breeze,  she  soon  dropped  an  anchor  in  the  pass 
between  Conanicut  and  Rhode,  when  a  boat  was  seen  mak- 
ing for  the  inner  harbor  impelled  by  the  arms  of  six  power- 
ful rowers.  As  the  barge  approached  a  retired  and  lonely 
wharf,  a  solitary  observer  of  its  movements  was  enabled  to 
see  that  it  contained  a  curtained  litter  and  a  single  female 
form.  Before  the  curiosity  which  such  a  sight  would  be 
apt  to  create  in  the  breast  of  one  like  the  spectator  men- 
tioned had  time  to  exercise  itself  in  conjectures,  the  oars 
were  tossed,  the  boat  had  touched  the  piles,  and,  borne  by  the 
seamen,  the  litter,  attended  by  the  woman,  stood  before  him. 

"  Tell  me,  I  pray  you,"  said  a  voice  in  whose  tones  grief 
and  resignation  were  singularly  combined,  "if  Captain 
Henry  de  Lacey,  of  the  Continental  marine,  has  a  residence 
in  this  town  of  Newport?" 

"  That  has  he,"  answered  the  aged  man  addressed  by  the 
female,  "that  has  he;  or,  as  one  might  say,  two;  since  yon- 
der frigate  is  no  less  his  than  the  dwelling  on  the  hill 
just  by." 

"Thou  art  too  old  to  point  us  out  the  way;  but  if  grand- 
child, or  idler  of  any  sort,  be  near,  here  is  silver  to  reward 
him." 

"Lord  help  you,  lady!"  returned  the  other,  casting  an 
oblique  glance  at  her  appearance  as  a  sort  of  salvo  for  the 
term,  and  pocketing  the  trifling  piece  she  offered,  with 
singular  care;  " Lord  help  you,  madam !  old  though  I  am, 


488  THE   RED   ROVER. 

and  something  worn  down  by  hardships  and  marvellous  ad- 
ventures, both  by  sea  and  land,  yet  will  I  gladly  do  so 
small  an  office  for  one  of  your  condition.  -  Follow,  and  you 
shall  see  that  your  pilot  is  not  altogether  unused  to  the 
path." 

The  old  man  turned,  and  was  leading  the  way  off  the 
wharf,  even  before  he  had  completed  the  assurance  of  his 
boasted  ability.  The  seamen  and  the  female  followed,  the 
latter  walking  sorrowfully  and  in  silence  by  the  side  of  the 
litter. 

"  If  you  have  need  of  refreshment,"  said  their  guide, 
pointing  over  his  shoulder,  "yonder  is  a  well-known  inn, 
and  one  much  frequented  in  its  time  by  mariners.  Neigh- 
bor Joram  and  the  Foul  Anchor  have  had  a  reputation  in 
their  day,  as  well  as  the  greatest  warrior  in  the  land ;  and, 
though  honest  Joe  is  gathered  in  for  the  general  harvest,  the 
house  stands  as  firm  as  the  day  he  first  entered  it.  A  goodly 
end  he  made,  and  profitable  is  it  to  the  weak-minded  sinner 
to  keep  such  an  example  before  his  eyes!" 

A  smothered  sound  issued  from  the  litter;  but  though 
the  guide  stopped  to  listen,  it  was  succeeded  by  no  other 
evidence  of  the  character  of  its  tenant. 

"The  sick  man  is  in  suffering,"  he  resumed,  "but  bodily 
pain,  and  all  afflictions  which  we  suffer  in  the  flesh,  must 
have  their  alloted  time.  I  have  lived  to  see  seven  bloody 
and  cruel  wars,  of  which  this  which  now  rages  is,  I  hum- 
bly trust,  to  be  the  last.  Of  the  wonders  which  I  witnessed, 
and  the  bodily  dangers  which  I  compassed  in  the  sixth,  eye 
hath  never  beheld,  nor  can  tongue  utter,  their  equal !" 

"Time  hath  dealt  hardly  by  you,  friend,"  meekly  inter- 
rupted the  female.  "  This  gold  may  add  a  few  more  com- 
fortable days  to  those  that  are  already  past." 

The  cripple,  for  their  conductor  was  lame  as  well  as 
aged,  received  the  offering  with  gratitude,  apparently  too 
much  occupied  in  estimating  its  amount,  to  give  any  more 
of  his  immediate  attention  to  the  discourse.  In  the  deep 


THE  REG   ROVER.  489 

silence  that  succeeded,  the  party  reached  the  door  of  the 
villa  they  sought. 

It  wa-s  now  night;  the  short  twilight  of  the  season  hav- 
ing disappeared  while  the  bearers  of  the  litter  were  ascend- 
ing the  hill.  A  loud  rap  was  given  by  the  guide;  and  then 
he  was  told  that  his  services  were  no  longer  needed. 

" I  have  seen  much  and  hard  service,"  he  replied,  "and 
well  do  I  know  that  the  prudent  mariner  does  not  dismiss 
the  pilot  until  the  ship  is  safely  moored.  Perhaps  old 
Madam  de  Lacey  is  abroad,  or  the  captain  himself  may 
not " 

"  Enough :  here  is  one  who  will  answer  all  our  questions." 

The  portal  was  opened,  and  a  man  appeared  on  its 
threshold,  holding  a  light.  The  appearance  of  the  porter 
was  not,  however,  of  the  most  encouraging  aspect.  A  cer- 
tain air,  which  can  neither  be  assumed  nor  gotten  rid  of, 
proclaimed  him  a  son  of  the  ocean,  while  a  wooden  limb, 
which  served  to  prop  a  portion  of  his  still  square  and 
athletic  body,  sufficiently  proved  that  he  was  one  who  had 
not  attained  the  experience  of  his  hardy  calling  without 
some  bodily  risk.  His  countenance,  as  he  held  the  light 
above  his  head,  to  scan  the  persons  of  those  without,  was 
dogmatic,  scowling,  and  a  little  fierce.  He  was  not  long, 
however,  in  recognizing  the  cripple,  of  whom  he  uncere- 
moniously demanded  the  object  of  what  he  was  pleased  to 
term  "such  a  night  squall." 

"  Here  is  a  wounded  mariner,'7  returned  the  female,  with 
tones  so  tremulous  that  they  instantly  softened  the  heart  of 
the  nautical  Cerberus,  "  who  is  come  to  claim  hospitality 
of  a  brother  in  the  service,  and  shelter  for  the  night.  We 
would  speak  with  Captain  Henry  de  Lacey." 

"Then  you  have  struck  soundings  on  the  right  coast, 
madam,"  returned  the  tar,  "  as  Master  Paul,  here,  will  say 
in  the  name  of  his  father,  no  less  than  in  that  of  the  sweet 
lady  his  mother;  not  forgetting  old  madam  his  grandma, 
who  is  no  fresh-water  fish  herself,  for  that  matter." 


THE  RED  ROVER. 

"  That  he  will,"  said  a  fine  manly  youth  of  some  seven- 
teen years,  who  wore  the  attire  of  one  who  was  already  in 
training  for  the  seas,  and  who  was  looking  curiously  over 
the  shoulder  of  the  elderly  seaman.  "  I  will  acquaint  my 
father  of  the  visit,  and,  Richard,  do  you  seek  out  a  proper 
berth  for  our  guests  without  delay." 

This  order,  which  was  given  with  the  air  of  one  who  had 
been  accustomed  to  act  for  himself,  and  to  speak  with 
authority,  was  instantly  obeyed.  The  apartment  selected  by 
Richard  was  the  ordinary  parlor  of  the  dwelling.  Here,  in 
a  few  moments,  the  litter  was  deposited;  the  bearers  were 
then  dismissed,  and  the  female  only  was  left,  with  its 
tenant  and  rude  attendant,  who  had  not  hesitated  to  give 
them  so  frank  a  reception.  The  latter  busied  himself  in 
trimming  the  lights,  and  in  replenishing  a  bright  wood  fire, 
taking  care,  at  the  same  time,  that  no  unnecessary  vacuum 
should  occur  in  the  discourse  to  render  the  brief  inter- 
val necessary  for  the  appearance  of  his  superiors  tedious. 
During  this  state  of  things  an  inner  door  was  opened,  the 
youth  already  named  leading  the  way  for  the  three  principal 
personages  of  the  mansion. 

First  came  a  middle-aged,  athletic  man,  in  the  naval  un- 
dress of  a  captain  of  the  new  States.  His  look  was  calm 
and  his  step  still  firm,  though  time  and  exposure  were 
beginning  to  sprinkle  his  head  with  gray.  He  wore  one 
arm  in  a  sling,  a  proof  that  his  service  was  still  recent;  on 
the  other  leaned  a  lady,  in  whose  matronly  mien,  but  still 
blooming  cheek  and  bright  eyes,  were  to  be  traced  most  of 
the  ripened  beauties  of  her  sex.  Behind  them  followed  a 
third,  a  female  also,  whose  step  was  less  elastic,  but  whose 
person  continued  to  exhibit  the  evidences  of  a  peaceful 
evening  to  the  troubled  day  of  life.  The  three  courteously 
saluted  the  stranger,  delicately  refraining  from  making  any 
precipitate  allusions  to  the  motive  of  her  visit.  Their  re- 
serve seemed  by  no  means  unnecessary;  for  by  the  manifest 
agitation  which  shook  the  shattered  frame  of  one  who  ap 


THE    RED    ROVER.  49 1 

peared  as  much  sinking  with  grief  as  infirmity,  it  was  too 
apparent  that  the  unknown  lady  needed  a  little  time  to  col- 
lect her  energies,  and  to  arrange  her  thoughts. 

She  wept  long  and  bitterly,  as  if  alone;  nor  did  she  essay 
to  speak  until  further  silence  would  have  become  suspi- 
cious. Then,  drying  her  eye?,  and  with  cheeks  on  which  a 
bright  hectic  spot  was  seatedy  her  voice  was  heard  for  the 
first  time  by  her  wondering  hosts. 

"You  may  deem  this  visit  an  intrusion,"  she  said;  "but 
one  whose  will  is  my  law  would  be  brought  hither." 

"Wherefore?"  mildly  asked  the  officer,  observing  that 
her  voice  was  already  choked. 

"To  die!"  was  the  whispered,  husky  answer. 

A  common  start  manifested  the  surprise  of  her  auditors; 
and  then  the  gentleman  arose,  and,  approaching  the  litter, 
he  gently  drew  aside  a  curtain  exposing  its  hitherto  unseen 
tenant  to  the  examination  of  all  in  the  room.  There  was 
understanding  in  the  look  that  met  his  gaze,  though  death 
was  too  plainly  stamped  on  the  lineaments  of  the  wounded 
man.  His  eye  alone  seemed  still  to  belong  to  earth;  for, 
while  all  around  it  appeared  already  to  be  sunk  into  the 
helplessness  of  the  last  stage  of  human  debility,  that  was 
still  bright,  intelligent,  and  glowing — it  might  almost  have 
been  described  as  glaring. 

"  Is  there  aught  in  which  we  can  contribute  to  your  com- 
fort, or  to  your  wishes?"  asked  Captain  de  Lacey,  after  a 
long  and  solemn  pause,  during  which  all  around  the  litter 
had  mournfully  contemplated  the  sad  spectacle  of  sinking 
mortality. 

The  smile  of  the  dying  man  was  ghastly,  though  tender 
ness  and  sorrow  were  singularly  and  fearfully  combined  in 
its  expression.  He  answered  not;  but  his  eyes  wandered 
from  face  to  face  until  they  became  riveted,  by  a  species 
of  charm,  on  the  countenance  of  the  oldest  of  the  two 
females.  His  gaze  was  met  by  a  look  as  settled  as  his 
own ;  so  evident  was  the  sympathy  which  existed  between 


THE   RED    ROVER. 

the  two,  that  it  could  not  escape  the  observation  of  the 
spectators. 

"Mother!"  said  the  officer,  with  affectionate  concern; 
"my  mother!  what  troubles  you?" 

"  Henry — Gertrude,"  answered  the  venerable  parent, 
extending  her  arms  to  her  offspring,  as  if  she  asked  sup- 
port; "  my  children,  your  doors  have  been  opened  to  one 
who  has  a  claim  to  enter  them.  Oh !  it  is  in  these  terrible 
moments,  when  passion  is  asleep  and  our  weakness  most 
apparent,  in  these  moments  of  debility  and  disease,  that 
nature  so  strongly  manifests  its  impression !  I  see  it  all  in 
that  fading  countenance,  in  those  sunken  features,  where 
so  little  is  left  but  the  last  lingering  look  of  family  and 
kindred!" 

"  Kindred !"  exclaimed  Captain  de  Lacey.  "  Of  what  af- 
finity is  our  guest?'7 

"  A  brother !"  answered  the  lady,  dropping  her  head  on  her 
bosom,  as  if  she  had  proclaimed  a  degree  of  consanguinity 
which  gave  pain  as  well  as  pleasure. 

The  stranger,  too  much  overcome  himself  to  speak,  made 
a  joyful  gesture  of  assent ;  but  he  never  averted  a  gaze  that 
seemed  destined  to  maintain  its  direction  so  long  as  life 
should  lend  it  intelligence. 

"A  brother!"  repeated  her  son,  in  unfeigned  astonish- 
ment. "  I  knew  you  had  a  brother;  but  I  had  thought  him 
dead  a  boy." 

"Twas  so  I  long  believed,  myself;  though  frightful 
glimpses  of  the  contrary  have  often  beset  me ;  but  now  the 
truth  is  too  plain,  in  that  fading  visage  and  those  fallen 
features,  to  be  misunderstood.  Poverty  and  misfortune 
divided  us.  I  suppose  we  thought  each  other  dead." 

Another  feeble  gesture  proclaimed  the  assent  of  the 
wounded  man. 

"  There  is  no  further  mystery.  Henry,  the  stranger  is  thy 
uncle — my  brother — once,  my  pupil!" 

"I  could  wish  to  see  him  under  happier  circumstances," 


THE    RED    ROVER.  493 

returned  the  officer,  with  a  seaman's  frankness:  "but  as  a 
kinsman,  he  is  welcome.  Poverty,  at  least,  shall  no  longer 
divide  you." 

"Look,  Henry — Gertrude!"  added  the  mother,  veiling 
her  own  eyes  as  she  spoke,  "  that  face  is  no  stranger  to  you. 
See  ye  not  the  sad  ruins  of  one  ye  both  fear  and  love?" 

Wonder  kept  her  children  mute,  though  they  looked  until 
sight  became  confused,  so  long  and  intense  was  their 
examination.  Then  a  hollow  sound  which  came  from  the 
chest  of  the  stranger  caused  them  to  start ;  and,  when  his 
low,  but  distinct  enunciation  reached  their  ears,  doubt  and 
perplexity  vanished. 

"  Wilder,"  he  said,  with  an  effort  in  which  his  utmost 
strength  appeared  exerted,  "  I  have  come  to  ask  the  last 
office  at  your  hands." 

"Captain  Heidegger!"  exclaimed  the  officer. 

"  The  Red  Rover!"  murmured  the  younger  Mrs.  de  Lacey, 
involuntarily  recoiling  a  pace  from  the  litter. 

"The  Red  Rover!"  repeated  her  son,  pressing  nigher 
with  ungovernable  curiosity. 

"Laid  by  the  heels  at  last!"  bluntly  observed  Fid, 
stumping  up  towards  the  group,  without  relinquishing  the 
tongs  which  he  had  kept  in  constant  use,  as  an  apology 
for  remaining  in  the  room. 

"  I  had  long  hid  my  repentance,  and  my  shame,  together,'* 
continued  the  dying  man,  when  the  momentary  surprise 
had  a  little  abated;  "but  this  war  drew  me  from  my  con- 
cealment. Our  country  needed  us  both,  and  both  has  she 
had!  You  have  served  as  one  who  never  offended  might 
serve;  but  a  cause  so  holy  was  not  to  be  tarnished  by  a 
name  like  mine.  May  the  little  I  have  done  for  good  be 
remembered,  when  the  world  speaks  of  the  evil  of  my 
hands!  Sister — mother — pardon." 

"  May  that  God,  who  forms  his  creatures  with  such  fear- 
ful natures,  look  mercifully- on  all  our  weaknesses!"  ex- 
claimed the  weeping  Mrs.  de  Lacey,  bowing  to  her  knees, 


494  THE  RED  ROVER. 

and  lifting  her  hands  and  eyes  to  Heaven.  "Oh,  brother! 
brother!  you  have  been  trained  in  the  holy  mystery  of  your 
redemption,  and  need  not  now  be  told  on  \vhat  Rock  to 
place  your  hopes  of  pardon!" 

"  Had  I  never  forgotten  those  precepts,  my  name  would 
still  be  known  with  honor.  But — Wilder!"  he  added,  with 
startling  energy,  "Wilder!" 

All  eyes  were  eagerly  bent  on  the  speaker.  His  hand 
was  holding  a  roll,  on  which  he  had  been  reposing  as  on  a 
pillow.  With  a  supernatural  effort,  his  form  rose  on  the 
litter;  and,  with  both  hands  elevated  above  his  head,  he 
let  fall  before  him  that  blazonry  of  intermingled  stripes, 
with  its  blue  field  of  rising  stars,  a  glow  of  exultation  illumi- 
ning every  feature  of  his  face,  as  in  his  day  of  pride. 

"Wilder!"  he  repeated,  laughing  hysterically,  "we  have 
triumphed!" — He  fell  backward,  without  motion,  the  exult- 
ing lineaments  settling  in  the  gloom  of  death,  as  shadows 
obscure  the  smiling  brightness  of  the  sun. 


THF    END. 


THE  UNIVERSITY  LIBRARY 
UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA,  SANTA  CRUZ 


This  book  is  due  on  the  last  DATE  stamped  below. 


DEC  1 5  75 


APR  16 '86      A 

DEC261985RK'B 

•DEC27'89 
JAN  19 '90 

JAN  20 1990  R ECU 


50m-6,'67(H2523s8)2373 


PS1417.R3 


3  2106  00206  5362 


